AusLeisure

A once respected gymnastics coach has been sentenced to an eight years and six months jail having been found guilty over the abuse of young athletes over several decades.

In the Parramatta District Court Daniel Gordon Benson was sentenced on Friday having been found guilty on more than 20 charges, including sexual intercourse with a person under 16 years old.

The charges relate to the sexual abuse and indecent assault of female students aged as young as 14 as far back as 1999 in Sydney.

In sentencing, Judge Justin Smith said while he accepted Benson was remorseful, there was “simply no evidence whatsoever from the offender to explain his offending”.

Judge Smith told the Court “all of the offending in this case was marked by the position of trust in which the offender was held, both by the victims as well as their parents.

“The place of a sports coach in the lives of young people, especially in circumstances where the particular activity consumes a large part of their life, is one of significant trust.

“The offences were not isolated but reveal an ongoing pattern of sexual offending against young women and girls by a well-respected, successful gymnastics coach.”

Judge Smith described impact statements tendered to the court by Benson’s young victims as “harrowing”, as they detailed the “terrible” and long-lasting impacts.

Judge Smith went on to say “in his letter to the court, he expressed his deep sorrow to the victims for his actions, noting there is nothing that he could say that could repair the harm he caused.

“The offender said that it was hard listening to the victims read their statements, and that he didn’t think that he truly understood the harm it caused until he did.”

Judge Smith said he accepted Benson’s “belated expression of insight” but admitted Benson had limited ability to engage in formal psychological programs in custody.

Benson was sentenced to eight years and six months behind bars, with a non-parole period of six years beginning late-2021.

He will be eligible for parole in December 2027.

The Court was told Benson first started teaching girls gymnastics in the early 1990s with his then partner before the two opened their own club.

It then heard of numerous occasions when he had assaulted young female gymnasts.

Image: Daniel Benson was sentenced over the abuse of teenage girls since the early 1990s.

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