PAUL HICKSON SENTENCED TO 17 YEARS FOR SEXUAL ABUSE IN SWANSEA AND STREET

In a case that has sent shockwaves through the swimming community and the wider public, Paul Hickson, a former British Olympic swimming coach, was sentenced to a total of 17 years in prison for a series of heinous sexual offenses committed against teenage athletes. The sentencing took place at Cardiff Crown Court, where Hickson, aged 48, was convicted on 15 out of 17 charges related to his abuse of young swimmers over a span of nearly two decades.

Hickson, who served as Britain’s chief coach during the Seoul Olympic Games, was found guilty of raping two teenage swimmers and indecently assaulting several others. The court acquitted him of two additional charges of indecent assault. The allegations against him spanned from his time running training clubs in Norwich and Swansea, specifically in the areas of Street and Swansea, between 1976 and 1991. At the time of his arrest in September 1992, Hickson was employed as the chief swimming coach at Millfield, a prestigious public school in Somerset.

Thirteen complainants, whose ages ranged from 13 to 20 at the time of the incidents, came forward to testify against Hickson. They recounted how he indecently assaulted them after swimming sessions or during fitness tests, exploiting his position of authority and trust. Hickson, who has an eight-year-old daughter, consistently denied any improper conduct, claiming that the women “fantasized” about him. His defense argued that he posed no threat and that the allegations were unfounded.

The court heard that Hickson’s misconduct had a devastating impact on the victims. Judge John Prosser sentenced him to 12 years for the rapes and other serious sexual offenses, with the sentences to run concurrently. An additional five years were added for the indecent assaults, bringing the total imprisonment term to 17 years. Judge Prosser expressed deep regret over the fall of a man who once enjoyed national and international admiration for his contributions to swimming. “It is a terrible shame to see a man of your great ability in the dock at all,” he stated. “You enjoyed, until the time of your arrest, veneration in the swimming world. Your efforts brought out the best potential in some of our greatest swimmers, and they looked up to you.”

However, the judge emphasized the breach of trust and the harm caused to the victims. “You had a duty to protect and nurture these young athletes, especially the girls you assaulted. Their parents entrusted them to you, and they looked up to you. Instead, you betrayed that trust, damaging their careers and lives,” he said. The judge described one victim as having become “a pathetic creature” due to Hickson’s actions, and another as being so affected that she struggled to trust anyone afterward. “Many of these offenses were beastly,” he added, highlighting the long-lasting pain, anguish, and sorrow experienced by the victims, some of whom had endured these abuses for nearly 20 years.

Anthony Evans QC, representing the defense, stated that Hickson’s wife, Kathleen, intended to stand by him and that he would never again be in a position to harm young swimmers. “The fall of someone like Hickson is a hard one, and the humiliation he faces is immense,” he remarked.

Outside the court, reactions from the community reflected the gravity of the case. A mother, whose daughter was among those assaulted at Swansea University, expressed her feelings: “It was terrible what he put the girls through. He was a very powerful figure in the swimming world, and he completely abused the trust people placed in him. He has received the sentence he deserves.”