Scott Volkers accuser Julie Gilbert says young swimmers need protection
One of the three women who accused former elite swimming coach Scott Volkers of sexual assault is calling on Swimming Australia to toughen its stance on coaches suspected of inappropriate behaviour.
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One of the women who accused swim identity Scott Volkers of sexual assault has called on the sport’s governing body to overhaul the way it deals with coaches suspected of inappropriate behaviour.
Julie Gilbert was one of three accusers in the case against Volkers, which was thrown out by a Queensland judge last month. She said swimming has a long, historical “problem” with regards to coaches who abuse the trust of athletes they train.
Her claims follow at least two recent high-profile cases of coaches charged with sexual assault of pupils including Paul Frost — son of Ian Thorpe’s legendary swim coach Doug Frost — as well as Mosman swim-school instructor Kyle Daniels.
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Police allege Frost abused boys aged between eight and 15 years and a girl from the age of 10 in the 1990s and up to 2005 while working at his father’s now closed swimming school in Padstow, southwestern Sydney.
He is facing a total of 101 charges and is on bail.
Daniels, 21, is accused of sexually assaulting eight girls, some as young as six, when he worked as a coach at the Mosman Swim Centre from June 2018 to March 2019.
He has pleaded not guilty to 26 child sexual offences and will stand trial later this year.
Neither Frost or Daniels, however, are registered with Swimming Australia.
Gilbert’s own case against Volkers was dismissed by a Queensland magistrate on the basis that it was “unfairly and unjustifiably oppressive” to proceed with the charges 18 years after they were alleged to have occurred.
In a further blow, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions this week confirmed an appeal will also not be sought in the case.
Gilbert maintains more needs to be done at swimming’s highest level to clean up the sport’s patchy history with regards to some coaches who abuse the trust of their athletes.
“There are still a lot of questions that need to be asked of Swimming Australia in terms of: ‘What are you doing to fix this’?” Gilbert told The Sunday Telegraph.
“You have children being left alone for long periods of time with their adult coaches with no other adult supervision.
“You have long hours of training, morning and night. You have young, impressionable children whose trust of their coach is implicit.
“I think (Swimming Australia) needs stricter protocols to ensure this is policed better. It should be at the top of their agenda.”
A spokeswoman for Swimming Australia said SA was committed to leading the best practice in this area of Australian sport via its Safe Sport Framework, which was implemented in 2016.
“We also have committed a dedicated senior staff member to this area to ensure that any grievance received is handled sensitively, timely and with utmost confidentiality,” she said.
Originally published as Scott Volkers accuser Julie Gilbert says young swimmers need protection