A former volunteer swim coach in England has been convicted of historical sexual assault.
Robert Spink, who previously worked as a volunteer coach with the Becontree Swimming Club in the East London town of Dagenham in the 1990s, has been found guilty of three counts of indecent assault of a boy, according to local court and crime reporter Josh Bolton.
Spink, 75, was unanimously convicted by a jury after a four-day trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court concluded on March 5.
According to reports, Spink sexually abused the boy during his time as a volunteer coach with the club.
The Canvey Island native will be sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court in April.
“He taught hundreds of children to swim over the years,” the mother of the victim told Bolton. “He was in such a position of trust in the changing rooms with those young boys.”
It’s important to note that for historical abuse cases, the court is limited by the maximum sentence that was available at the time the crime was committed—in this case, the Sexual Offences Act of 1956. If the victim was under the age of 16, the maximum sentence could be up to 10 years per count.
