A TRIATHLON trainer who had sex with his 16-year-old student was named Glasgow’s Community Coach of the Year while he was suspended for the affair by the sport’s governing body.
Young athlete Lara Gorman’s career was shattered by depression and self-harm following a relationship with her adult coach John Dargie.
When they learned of the liaison in 2010, Triathlon Scotland suspended Mr Dargie but he has continued to train as an unregistered coach.
In 2012 he was crowned Community Coach of the Year at the Sports Council for Glasgow (SCG) Annual Awards, which are supported by national agency SportScotland and city council firm Glasgow Sport.
There was nothing unlawful about the relationship between the pair, but SportScotland regards sex with 16 to 18-year-olds as “unacceptable practice”, which should be punished in line with individual clubs’ disciplinary procedures.
But Ms Gorman’s case has intensified calls for the legal prohibition on teachers and social workers having sex with under 18s in their care to be extended to sports coaches.
Ms Gorman’s family said they felt sick when they learned that the coach, who had flouted national guidelines to have sex with their daughter, was being lauded as a pillar of Glasgow’s sporting community.
SCG said it accepted Mr Dargie’s nomination “in good faith” and had no reason to consult the governing body.
But Triathlon Scotland said it advised Glasgow Mr Dargie had been an unregistered coach when it was made aware of the nomination but could not reveal why because of data protection laws.
Ms Gorman said: “He coaches sessions two minutes down the road from where I stay in Milngavie and I’ve wanted to go down there so many times and tell parents what happened. I just don’t want him to be able to coach young children so I feel I have got to say this now and I want to, because I couldn’t live with myself if it happened to somebody else.”
Ms Gorman’s father, Cameron, said: “I think the governing body has a huge role to play in this. They missed a golden opportunity to really make a stand with this type of behaviour. To me they are just a weak organisation who have decided to keep this under wraps and not make any waves.
“They should have taken a right strong stance. This guy is coaching other people’s daughters and can potentially ruin their lives.”
Mr Dargie said the relationship was “an error of judgment” following the breakdown of his marriage, during a period when he was hospitalised for mental illness, including suicidal tendencies.
He said: “I have received a few coaching awards. It came out of the blue. Presumably somebody nominated me for it and I accepted it.
“I worked as a coach. It’s what I do. I have dedicated my life to coaching and helping other people achieve stuff through sport, sometimes at personal cost emotionally and medically.”
The coach said he has always been approved by Disclosure Scotland and is now fit to work with children following his battle with mental illness.
An SCG spokesman said: “We would have had no reason to contact any governing body for further information in advance of the awards”
Jane Moncrieff, CEO of Triathlon Scotland, said they were made aware Mr Dargie had been nominated for an award in 2012.
She said: “Glasgow or someone let us know and we let them know he did not work under our auspices.
“We weren’t entitled to let them know why because people have rights and the advice from our lawyer is that there are some types of information they don’t have to be out there in the public domain.
“He wasn’t on an offenders register, he wasn’t on any public register, so at the end of the day we’d done what we had done, we’d banned him, his club know he’s banned, he’s not featuring on our website, we followed due process.”
She added: “Coaching isn’t the same as something like teaching or nursing, it’s not regulated, it’s not licensed.”
A SportScotland spokesman said: “All 50 sport governing bodies which we invest in are reviewing their policies and practices in this area, including their code of conduct for coaches.
“In addition, the Scottish Government and Disclosure Scotland are undertaking a review of the PVG (Protecting Vulnerable Groups) scheme and enforcement around the legislation.”
A Glasgow Sport spokewoman said: “Glasgow Sport is a supporter of the Sports Council for Glasgow, but has no involvement in its annual awards nomination or selection process.”
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