Courts / Dublin / Report

Soccer coach accused of indecent assault in 1970s seeks to halt trial

Summary

A soccer coach, aged in his seventies and suffering ill health, has filed a High Court application to halt his prosecution for two counts of indecent assault alleged to have occurred in the mid‑1970s. The alleged assaults took place at a Dublin club house and a location outside Dublin while the accused, then in his twenties, was the coach of an under‑age football team. The complainant, aged 12‑13 at the time, first gave a statement to Gardai in 2017, followed by a second in 2020. A decision to prosecute was not made until 2021. The coach, represented by Giollaíosa Ó Lideadha SC, claims that delays by the Director of Public Prosecutions, failure to disclose material and the passage of time have breached his right to an expeditious trial. He alleges that the DPP has not provided a statement explaining why the charges were not brought earlier.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Soccer coach accused of indecent assault in 1970s seeks to halt trial. Charges or matters: two counts of indecent assault against the then schoolboy, which are alleged to have occurred at the club house of a soccer club based in Dublin, and at a location outside Dublin when the team were on a trip, in the mid-1970s. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• 2021-12-06 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Trial Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report