A soccer coach who engaged in inappropriate and illegal sexual activity with a teenage female player has been given a six year sentence with the final two years suspended.
Richard Farrell (61) was convicted by a jury following a trial earlier this year of four counts of defilement, which occurred on dates between August 2008 and January 2009 when the young woman was 16. He was aged 45-years-old at the time and a soccer coach for her team.
The young woman told the Central Criminal Court in her victim impact statement of the harmful and far-reaching effects of the offending on her life.
She said that looking back to when she met Farrell she appeared “very childlike” and a “tom boy, in soccer gear every day” and it pains her now that a man could have looked at her in sexual way.
She said she could not believe that a coach would be interested in her and for a time felt like she could achieve anything. She said her dreams were crushed when she realised it never had anything to do with soccer. She said that she had loved soccer at the time but she now hated it.
The young woman said Farrell had got to her at an impressionable age when she was learning about love and knew nothing about grooming. She said she had believed the abuse was love.
The court heard that she wished to retain her anonymity but had no issue with Farrell being named.
“I could not imagine hurting anyone, not alone the most precious in society – children,” she told Farrell. “I hope my words haunt you forever,” she told him.
Farrell, with an address at Lough Conn Avenue, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10 had pleaded not guilty to the offences at his trial. He has one prior conviction for a road traffic offence.
The maximum sentence for theses offences is 10 years, as Farrell was in a position of authority.
Passing sentence on Monday, Ms Justice Eileen Creedon said it was clear the offending had a profound effect on the young woman, impacting her confidence, trust and relationships.
She said Farrell was older and someone with considerable life experience, as well as being in a position of authority as the girl’s sports coach. She said he took advantage of his position to make sure he had full access to her.
She said Farrell had groomed the girl over a period prior to the inappropriate sexual behaviour.
Ms Justice Creedon noted she had to have regard to rehabilitation. Farrell has been assessed by the Probation Service as at low risk of reoffending.
She noted Farrell, a father and grandfather, has not been in trouble before or since, apart from a road traffic offence, and there were testimonials before the court outlining his contribution to the community. She took into account that he had co-operated with the investigation.
The judge set a headline sentence of seven years imprisonment.
Ms Justice Creedon imposed a sentence of six years and suspended the final two years on conditions including two years’ probation supervision and that he participate in appropriate offence related assessment and treatment to include a therapeutic programme for sexual harmful offending.
Further conditions include cooperation with any multi-agency management of risk, in particular in relation to any restrictions regarding his access to children or other vulnerable persons.
A prosecuting garda told Fiona Murphy SC, prosecuting, that Farrell and the girl came into contact when he was a coach for her soccer team.
The girl said her team had not been doing well until Farrell took over. She said he was good at putting players where they should be and identified her as someone with talent. She said they had “craic” after drills were finished and it was fun, but quite childish looking back.
She said everyone liked him, called him “Richie” and he had nicknames for the girls.
He took her phone number to contact her about sports matters, but that over time the contact became more personal and sexualised in nature. Farrell introduced himself to the girl’s family.
The court heard that Farrell became “a big feature in her life” and that he started collecting her at night and driving her around, which progressed to sexual activity. Farrell bought her presents initially such as football boots and later underwear and a sex toy.
The sexual contact began in the summer of 2008 and occurred multiple times a week.
Garda interview
The girl later made a complaint and Farrell was interviewed by gardaí in May 2020. He said he knew the girl but denied the defilement charges. He said there had not been any sexual relations with her that were unlawful and all sexual contact was after she turned 18 years old.
The court heard Farrell had been working as a soccer coach throughout this period.
In her victim impact statement the young woman said she could not believe an adult was giving her so much attention, which made her feel special, but that his attention to her came at a price – it was conditional and transactional.
She said it was relatable that she had a crush on a man she admired, but his response was not relatable and he should have shut it down immediately. She noted that despite annual safe guarding training, he had actively pursued a sexual relationship with a young girl he had authority over.
The young woman also described how difficult it was for her medical and therapy sessions to be signed off to the court process.
She said the legal system was invasive and she was made to feel like she was on trial with “every inch” of her background combed through. She said her own words were used against her.
“I fail to see what relevance sexual history has in any child sexual abuse case,” she said.
She said as tough as it had been to hold her head up, she had come forward for the right reasons and in the hope that he could not hurt anyone else. She thanked those who had supported her and encouraged her to keep going.
John Fitzgerald SC, defending, said Farrell accepts the verdict of the jury that he had sexual relations with someone 30 years younger than himself. He accepts it was highly inappropriate and wrong.
He said Farrell’s wrongful behaviour was limited and isolated to this injured party only and was not part of ongoing attempts to groom or engage in sexualised behaviour with children.
Counsel said the offending he had been convicted of comprised four months of his 61 years of life.
Mr Fitzgerald said Farrell had been heavily involved in soccer and earned his UEFA badge to work in that field but that all ended as a result of the allegations.
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He said Farrell had made a very serious error with very serious impacts but was not seeking to minimise what he did. He said Farrell was doing well in prison.
Counsel asked the court to take into account character statements outlining his skills as a coach and his contribution to the community. He said many had benefited from his voluntary involvement as a coach and not all of that could be taken away. He also handed in a letter of apology from Farrell.
Mr Fitzgerald said the offending had been highly serious and inappropriate but occurred during an isolated time frame and injured party in particular circumstances. He asked the court to extend what leniency it could given Farrell’s age.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help.
