A HORSE-RIDING COACH in his sixties who abused his position of trust by raping a 14-year-old girl having groomed her by giving her alcohol and equestrian clothing has been jailed for nine years.

The Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork heard that the now young woman had waited six years for William Connolly of Greenlands, Rathcoursey, Midleton, Co Cork to go on trial for his four-month abuse of her in 2019. 

He was found guilty by unanimous verdict of three counts of rape, one count of oral rape, two counts of sexual assault and one count of exploitation of a child for the purpose of sexual activity in December of last year.

Today at a sentencing hearing in Cork, Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford said that what had occurred between Mr Connolly and the then teenager had represented a “gross breach of trust.”

Ms Justice Lankford said that Connolly had exploited the love the victim had for horse riding and relied on her passion for the sport to ensure she would comply with him. 

She described the victim in the case as a “very resilient young woman” whom she stressed had delivered a “very clear, restrained victim impact statement.

“She (the victim) said she accepted the type of situation she was in. He (Connolly) was her coach. She was a young woman who was very enamoured with horse riding.

“He exploited her love of horses and relied on her passion for horse riding. He clearly took advantage of her love of horse riding and her desire to do well in competitions.”

Ms Justice Lankford spoke of the “huge disparity in age” between Connolly and the young woman he sexually assaulted and raped.

She said that Connolly was in a position of authority at the time of the offences. In mitigation she noted the previous good character of Connolly, his serious medical difficulties, and the fact that he had been described as a “good father” by his loved ones. 

Connolly still denies all wrongdoing. During the trial he described the account of the victim as “fantasies” and “insane”.

The evidence was that the incidents occurred between August and December 2019 in a number of locations in Co Cork.

The offences came to light when the mother of the then young girl found two texts on her daughter’s phone from Connolly.

They read: “If you are my baby you get everything. Only one catch. I want to own that (vagina) of yours. Agree and you get everything.”

Another read: “I want to poke – that is the deal.”

“He groomed me and sexually assaulted me for a long time. I never saw it like that. I accepted that it was just the situation I was in.”

The young woman said that the matter was reported after she told a friend what had occurred. She said she was very grateful for her having such a good friend who opted not to listen to her when she asked her to keep it a secret.

“I honestly don’t know if I would have ever come forward if this hadn’t happened.

“I genuinely believed that Bill was a good man and he didn’t deserve what would happen to him if the news ever came out. I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt that I told his secret.

“I believed there was no harm being done if the only harm being done was to me. I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt that I had told his secret.”

The woman said that she had felt sympathy for Connolly up until the first day of the trial.

“I felt sorry that I was putting him through this. Putting his family through this. But when he went up to the stand and I had to listen to him deny everything that we both knew had happened. It was devastating for me.”

The complainant said that she was horrified when Mr accused her of “coming on to him.” She said that she “didn’t feel bad anymore” when he accused her of telling lies about him and engaging in fantasy.

She said she found the trial process extremely difficult.

“The defence repeatedly questioned my honesty. They suggested I was lying…it felt humiliating and degrading. Each morning before trial I felt physically sick with anxiety.

“(But) I felt proud to be there standing up for myself and I realised how manipulated I was. I saw him as a rapist and a man who abused me because he knew he had power over me.”

The woman thanked her family and friends, gardaí and her legal team for their help in relation to her case. She said that she doesn’t want what occurred to her to have an impact on her life going forward.  

“I want to carry on with my life. I want to get a good job. I won’t let the trauma he has caused me to overcome me and I won’t let him take away my future.

“By coming to court and telling my story I am standing not only for myself but for the victims whose cases never make it to trial. I am giving a voice to those who cannot speak for themselves.”

The court was told that Connolly can be named once the complainant is not identified.

Ms Justice Lankford jailed Connolly for nine years. She said that there was no basis for suspending any portion of the sentence.  The sentence was backdated to 19 December, 2025 when Connolly first entered into custody.