EX-SUNDERLAND DEFENDER DARREN HOLLOWAY NARROWLY AVOIDS PRISON FOR CHILD ILL-TREATMENT
The conviction on child ill-treatment charges of former professional footballer Darren Holloway represented a fall from grace for the local lad made good.An ex-Sunderland and Darlington defender during his playing career, Holloway narrowly avoided an immediate prison sentence at Newcastle Crown Court, this week.
The 48-year-old Bishop Auckland-born player, who turned to coaching on hanging up his boots, appeared for sentence before Recorder David Gordon at The Moot Hall, having previously admitted two counts of child ill-treatment/neglect.
Recorder Gordon passed sentence on Wednesday (January 21), imposing nine-month jail terms on both charges, consecutively, but in each case suspending the sentence for 24 months.
Holloway, of Meadowfield, Durham, was also ordered to complete 240 hours’ unpaid work and attend up to 35 rehabilitation activity days, under the direction of the Probation Service, during the next year.
In his earlier playing days, Holloway, from Crook, was an academy graduate at Sunderland, making 59 appearances for the Black Cats under the management of Peter Reid, during which time the club was twice promoted to the Premier League.
During his stint with Sunderland, spanning the club’s move from Roker Park to the Stadium of Light, he had short loan spells, at Carlisle and Bolton Wanderers.
He left the North East for a four-year period with Wimbledon, playing 92 times for the Dons, ending with a loan spell at Scunthorpe.
Holloway went on to play for both Bradford City and Darlington, making 21 appearances for the Quakers, during which he scored a single goal.
On his release from Darlington, Holloway had a short ten-game spell with Gateshead, in 2008/09.
On quitting the playing game, he moved into coaching, with three years as assistant to Alun Armstrong from 2016 to 2019, followed by four seasons as his sidekick, again, at Darlington.
He also left Blackwell Meadows when Armstrong was sacked as manager in September 2023.
