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Former football coach to be sentenced later for indecent assault of boy over 50 years ago
A man who was indecently assaulted by his football coach over 50 years ago has described him as 'vile', 'evil' and a 'danger to children'.
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 Co Kerry.
The complainant was aged 12 to 14 at the time.
Dublin Circuit Criminal 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.
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Defence senior counsel Tony McGillicuddy told the court that Thorpe is currently living on a mobile home site in Co Meath.
Thorpe has five previous convictions, including three for indecently assaulting another teenage boy in the 1980s, for which he was given a two-year suspended sentence in 1990.
Reading his victim-impact statement on Wednesday, 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.'
An investigating garda told Ronan Prendergast, prosecuting, that 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.
The incident took place during a club summer trip to Co 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 gardaí 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 gardaí approached Thorpe in 2019 and while he initially indicated he would agree to a voluntary interview he later declined following legal advice.
The investigating garda 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 had been instructed to apologise.
He said Thorpe lives 'a fairly lonely and solitary life'.
Counsel said Thorpe's marriage had broken down after he was charged in relation to his previous offending, and his relationship with his children had been '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 had 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 being 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 Martina Baxter said the court would adjourn the case for one week, and remanded Thorpe in custody until June 25th. The judge directed that Thorpe should receive all required medical treatment while in custody.
