HSE report into former tennis coach accused of abuse 'awaits verification'

A Health Service Executive investigation into allegations of abuse of a number of girls at a Dublin tennis club in the 1970s has been completed but is awaiting independent verification, according to a spokeswoman.

The investigation began more than four years ago when seven women brought their complaints to the HSE following what they regard as a failure by the legal system to give them justice. They hope the HSE can underline the credibility of their claims and take appropriate action to protect children.

Files in each case were submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions following a Garda investigation but in 2008 the DPP decided not to prosecute. That decision was upheld after an appeal by the women.

The HSE spokeswoman said that “where an adult makes an allegation/disclosure in respect of abuse that occurred when they were children, the role of child-protection social work is to ascertain that the alleged perpetrator is not currently in a position of care/authority in relation to children”.

“If it is established that the alleged perpetrator is in such a position” then the HSE must “carry out a risk assessment to ensure all protective factors are in place and are being strictly observed and adhered to”, she said.

Jimmy Savile
Speaking to The Irish Times, the women compared their alleged abuser to disgraced television presenter Jimmy Savile, with the difference that their alleged abuser is alive and well and living in Dublin.

“He seems to come out on top all the time. People revered him. He could do no wrong. All that fundraising he did. My parents thought he was a god. Free tennis coaching. He built people’s trust just as Savile did,” said Kathy (not her real name).

She and six other women made statements to the Garda alleging abuse by the man but say that among girls of their age at the club at the time he allegedly abused 15 of whom they are aware. Such was his confidence that he allegedly abused some of the girls in public areas around the club. One woman alleged she was abused by the man at the side of a tennis court at the club. He was seen by two men who approached him. They asked what he was doing and he stopped. Nothing more was done about it, she said.

Another woman felt ill when she saw the man at her mother’s funeral many years after her alleged abuse ended.

He allegedly abused another young girl in his car while children were in the back. In her statement, this women recalled also that while the man was allegedly abusing her in his bedroom they were discovered by his wife, who became hysterical. The girl was 12 and hid under the bed. She was ordered out from under the bed by the man’s wife who screamed at her and told her she was evil and wicked. She then drove the girl home, threatening to tell her parents.

Claims of punching
She did so a few nights later, and the child's mother cried. Her parents decided they would not talk about it again. The girl's mother brought her to see a priest at Gardiner Street church in Dublin. Her alleged abuser's wife began visiting the girl's school and called her out of class twice, whereupon the woman allegedly pushed and punched her and told her how evil she was. The girl told her mother, who confronted the man's wife, and that was the end of it, the woman said.

In her statement to gardaí, another woman also recalled being attacked as a child by the man’s wife. This girl was grabbed and shoved by her against a wire fence while the wife screamed at her and demanded to know what she had been doing with her husband.

In 2006 Kathy made a complaint against the man. One of her daughters wanted to join the tennis club and she became aware that the man, though retired as tennis coach, was still hanging around there.

She spoke to the club president and was referred to the Garda. She also confided in another woman who had also been a member of the club when they were both girls. The woman told Kathy she too had allegedly been abused– severely – by the man.

As more women came forward, a pattern in the alleged abuse emerged. The alleged abuse usually began when the girls were about seven and continued until they were 12. “Unlike Savile, who preyed on older people too, he seemed to lose interest at 12,” said Kathy.

Coach confronted
Five of the women made statements to the Garda, as did the mother of one of them. She had confronted the coach about allegedly abusing her daughter.

The Garda investigation continued until December 2007, when a file was sent to the DPP. In February 2008 the women were told there would be no prosecutions. They requested a review but in October 2008 the DPP upheld the decision.

Two of the women, including Kathy, considered taking a civil action against the man but the cost was prohibitive.

They believe the man always knew “the day would come when he would get away with it”. Whatever the outcome of the HSE investigation, Kathy says she intends sending him a letter to try to explain the damage he did.