Richard Farrell jailed for defilement of teenage player

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Richard Farrell was jailed for defilement at the Central Criminal Court on 9 December 2024, receiving a six-year sentence with the final two years suspended.

The jury had convicted Farrell of four counts of defilement involving the complainant when she was 16, between August 2008 and January 2009. He was acquitted of rape and anal rape, while the judge directed not-guilty findings on 30 sexual assault counts.

The judge set a seven-year headline sentence before imposing six years, suspending the final two years. Conditions include two years of probation supervision, offence-related assessment and treatment, and cooperation with multi-agency risk management.

In sentencing, the judge said the offending had profoundly affected the complainant and noted Farrell’s position of authority as her coach. She also considered his low assessed risk of reoffending, previous record, community contribution and cooperation with the investigation.