Advertisement

Ex-swim coach remanded in custody on charges of sexual abuse

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — A former high-level swimming coach accused of historical child abuse has been remanded in custody until next month after his case was mentioned Monday in an Australian court.

John Reginald Wright, 78, was extradited to Queensland state from Western Australia after being charged last week with nine counts of indecent dealing with children. The charges related to alleged incidents in the early 1980s in Brisbane and Rockhampton.

Wright was due to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Saturday but his case was delayed for two days for medical reasons. He didn't appear when the case was mentioned in the court on Monday and his duty lawyer didn’t apply for bail.

Wright is set to face the same court on Nov. 15.

His arrest followed an investigation by Queensland state police that started after the Australian Broadcasting Corporation aired allegations the coach sexually abused boys he coached.

After the unexpected death of an Olympian who alleged he’d been sexually abused by his swimming coach, the ABC uncovered stories of two more swimmers who say they were abused by the same coach at the same pool in Australia.

A former world-ranked South African swimmer also told the ABC that he was abused by the coach over a period of six months in 1998.

___

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports