Football coach described by judge as “clearly a sexual predator” given suspended sentence

By Eimear Dodd and Niamh O’Donoghue

A football coach, who a judge described as “clearly a sexual predator”, has been given a suspended sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Joseph Thorpe (73) was a coach with a Dublin club when he sexually assaulted the injured party on a date between September 1974 and September 1976, during a club trip to County Kerry.

The complainant was aged 12 to 14 at the time.

The court heard that the victim wishes to retain his anonymity, but has no difficulty with Thorpe being identified.

Thorpe, with an address at Glenbeigh Park, Cabra, Dublin 7 pleaded guilty to one count of indecent assault on a trial date earlier this year.

He has five previous convictions, including three for indecently assaulting another teenage boy in the 1980s, for which he was handed a two-year suspended sentence in 1990.

Yesterday, Judge Martina Baxter said Thorpe was in a position of trust and the “effect of this assault” on the injured party “was profound.”

She said the moral culpability of the offender and harm done must be assessed and the appropriate  range of aggravating factors be included.

“Sentencing is neither an exercise in vengeance or retribution,” she said.

Judge Baxter said it was a gross violation by a sports couch, who also violated the trust of the parents while the injured party was asleep at the time and was more vulnerable, while other children were present.

He was “clearly a sexual predator” said the judge.

The judge noted he was estranged from his children, had a good work history in the past and has not come to attention since 1990 so has the capacity to reform.

She imposed a sentence of 20 months imprisonment but suspended it in full for a period of 24 months and ordered that he remain under the supervision of the Probation Service for a period of 18 months.

Defence senior counsel Tony McGillicuddy told the court that Thorpe is currently living on a mobile home site in County Meath.

Reading his victim impact statement at an earlier hearing last week, the complainant said Thorpe had “posed” as football manager and coach 51 years ago.

“Football managers build dreams and instil confidence and self-belief in players. [Joseph Thorpe], you were no football manager.”

He said Thorpe “thrashed his dreams” of being a footballer, “wrecked” his confidence and mental health and “destroyed” his school and family life.

He said the offending had “destroyed my trust in mankind” and affected his ability to sustain a close physical relationship with a partner.

The injured party said he had undergone a “lifetime of therapy” to deal with the impact of the abuse.

“You are a dirty man, a vile man, an evil man,” he said, later describing Thorpe as a “danger to children”.

He asked Thorpe to take any help offered “for your attraction to young boys”.  “Please take it, it may save the life of a young child.”

Detective Garda Kevin Bambrick told the court the then teenager had an involvement with the club where Thorpe was a coach.

Thorpe took him to matches, on fishing trips and also bought him football gear.

He told Ronan Prendergast BL, prosecuting,  the incident took place during a club summer trip to County Kerry, during which participants, including many children, stayed in a caravan and a tent.

Thorpe sexually assaulted the teenager in a makeshift bed they were sharing in a caravan. The boy told Thorpe to stop.

Two others were also sleeping in the same bed and other children were in the caravan, the court heard.

The complainant made an initial complaint to gardai in 2017.

The investigating garda outlined during cross-examination that there was a hiatus in the investigation due to a high volume of murder investigations being dealt with by Mountjoy Garda Station during this period.

Investigating gardai approached Thorpe in 2019 and while he initially indicated he would agree to a voluntary interview, he later declined following legal advice.

Det Gda Bambrick agreed with Mr McGillicuddy that this was a single incident, which occurred while others were sleeping in the caravan.

It was further accepted that Thorpe was previously married and is estranged from his adult children.

Mr McGillicuddy noted that this case involved a “grave breach of trust”, adding that he is instructed to apologise.

He said Thorpe lives “a fairly lonely and solitary life “.

Counsel said Thorpe’s marriage broke down after he was charged in relation to his previous offending, and his relationship with his children was “sundered” following some media coverage about these convictions around 2007.

Mr McGillicuddy said his client was a postal worker, but this employment also ended due to his previous convictions.

He submitted that Thorpe had paid a price for his conviction in 1990 and suffered a “personal and human cost in that his life effectively crumbled”.

A number of medical reports were handed to the court.

Mr McGillicuddy outlined that his client has complex medical issues, some of which are managed on an ongoing basis.

He asked the court to take into account his client’s guilty plea, willingness to engage with The Probation Service and expression of remorse.

Counsel asked the court for as much leniency as possible for his client.

He asked the court to adjourn the case as two testimonials had been provided for his client, but these were not accompanied by affidavits.

Judge Baxter had remanded Thorpe in custody following a sentence hearing last week to consider sentence.

Yesterday, counsel said Thorpe has found the last week in prison very difficult due to overcrowding.

“He has been fairly shocked by it,” said Mr McGillicuddy