‘Extraordinary’ golf talent crushed at hands of mind coach Sean Patrick Lynch

A little girl’s promising golf career was destroyed after she was sexually abused by a mind coach to some of Australia’s best athletes. WARNING: STRONG CONTENT

A little girl whose promising golf career was destroyed after she was sexually abused by a mind coach to some of Australia’s best athletes has bravely stared down her attacker as he was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Sean Patrick Lynch, 68, was found guilty of the “horrid and depraved” treatment of the teenager who had been an “extraordinary talent” on the golf course with a bright future before the sickening abuse.

Mind coach Sean Lynch leaves the police watch house in Brisbane in December, 2019. Picture: AAP Image/Dan Peled

Lynch used his skills as a mind coach to manipulate the girl into a sexual relationship by claiming it would help with her golf game.

Such was his control of the girl that in a police-recorded phone call in which she confronted him about the abuse, Lynch managed to have her apologising for his own sickening conduct by the end of the conversation.

The top mind coach to sporting stars including former world number one golfer Jason Day was slammed by Judge Vicki Loury KC as a remorseless, narcissistic and manipulative man who had grossly breached the trust of the girl and her family.

Lynch was found guilty after a 10 day trial in September of seven charges including five counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16 under care and one count of grooming. On Thursday he was sentenced to three years imprisonment, suspended for five years after he has served 18 months behind bars.

Lynch’s offending included having the girl masturbate him, kissing and touching her at locations including a park and a prestigious golf club’s office, licking her stomach, making her watch pornography and sending her illicit images.

“He talked to her about doing things with him would help with her golf, he suggested he needed to teach her how to kiss, how to suck d***, how to f*** properly, and this whole thing kept coming along about how that would assist with her golf,” Crown Prosecutor Chris Cook said.

“(She) trusted what he told her and went along with what he told her to do”.

Mind coach Sean Lynch leaves the Brisbane Magistrates Court in 2020.

Lynch could not be sentenced for the worst of the conduct against the girl because it happened in New South Wales.

On that occasion he put his finger in her vagina and had her perform oral sex on him.

“During the period of offending she was too young and naive to understand,” Mr Cook said of the victim.

Mr Cook said Lynch was motivated in seeking his own “selfish sexual gratification” and he had been “arrogant” in the way he conducted the fiercely contested trial in which it was suggested to the complainant that she had made up her complaint for money.

“The manipulation of (the complainant) was clear to the end,” he said.

“He seems to be a man who thinks he has the gift of the gab and would say anything to try and manipulate this young girl.”

Defence barrister Tony Kimmins said the some golf courses would not allow Lynch to attend after he was charged “and that obviously had an effect on his ability to be able to be able to properly earn a living”.

“He, on my instructions, as a result of being charged with this, effectively lost his business,” Mr Kimmins said.

The court heard the complainant, who excelled at golf from a young age, was introduced to Lynch through her renowned golf swing coach when she was aged 12 or 13 in about 2016 or 2017.

“By 2018 you were regularly in contact with her through the golf clubs at which she played and tournaments she attended, you offered her father to help her with her game,” Judge Loury said in sentencing Lynch.

“You developed a close relationship with her to the extent that she would stay overnight at your house from time to time.

“She described in her evidence that you treated her like a daughter and that staying over at your house occurred sporadically over around a 12 month period from about March 2018.”

Sean Lynch worked with PGA champions, including Jason Day.

Judge Loury said during the trial, the girl gave a “compelling account” about how the relationship between her and Lynch became more sexual.

“You spoke about her learning how to kiss and teaching her how to kiss, you started showing her pornography and pointing out what you considered to be a good technique used by women, and telling her what she would enjoy doing,” she said.

“You would send her photos of naked men and of yourself it seems touching your penis.

“You deleted many of the messages that passed between you and I am satisfied that you did so because you realised that those messages or photographs would reveal the true nature of your relationship with her and reveal your guilt.”

She said eventually the conduct led to Lynch pushing the girl onto the bed and licking her stomach on two occasions at her house.

“You passionately kissed her on the couch asking did she trust you on one evening before shortly afterwards having her masturbate you to ejaculation,” he said.

“There were it seems other occasions where you kissed and touched her breasts or lay on her fully clothed and thrust your hips against hers such that she could feel your penis rubbing against her vagina.

“On two others occasions you opportunistically took advantage of her by passionately kissing her in a park and in the office... where you touched her breasts.

“The most serious of your conduct occurred in New South Wales where you had her perform oral sex on you and you penetrated her vagina with your with finger however I cannot sentence you for that conduct that occurred in New South Wales.”

After seeing something on Netflix that made her realise she was being groomed, the girl cut contact and told her father and grandfather in December 2019 that she had been molested and the matter was reported to police.

Sean Lynch has been sentenced to 18 months in prison.

She participated in a pre-text call with Lynch that was recorded by police on December 20, 2019 and that was played during his trial.

“It was plain to me that you admitted having her touch your penis and you admitted she had sucked your penis in New South Wales in that phone call,” Judge Loury said.

“You gave entirely implausible evidence that you weren’t listening to her in an attempt to explain your admissions.

“What was clear to me in the playing of that recording is that you manipulated her to the point where by the end of the conversation she was apologising to you.”

Lynch, who is now 68, was aged from 64 to 65 during the offending over about a six-month period from 2018.

“You proceeded to trial which is of course your right however that means that you are a man without remorse and frankly as much was demonstrated in the pretext telephone call,” Judge Loury said.

Lynch called character evidence at trial with numerous witnesses attesting to his good character, describing him as honest, reliable, caring, and empathetic and a pillar of the golfing community.

“In your evidence you took opportunities to denigrate the complainant, your sworn evidence before the jury was dishonest,” the judge said.

“The pretext telephone call does not at all demonstrate that you had her best interests at heart as some of the witnesses attested to, rather it demonstrated you as manipulative and narcissistic.”

Mind coach Sean Lynch.

Ms Loury said the legislation meant she could not have regard to Lynch’s good character if it assisted him to commit the offences and she found it did, having come to know the complainant through his reputation as a performance coach.

“You made her think that what you were doing was in her best interests when it was as far from that as imaginable,” she said.

The court heard the girl had been an “extraordinary talent”.

Many of her incredible achievements were read to the court, however The Courier-Mail cannot publish them at the risk of identifying her.

In her victim impact statement to the court she wrote: “Before meeting Sean I loved golf and was on top of the world, after meeting Sean my life changed completely and spiralled downwards”.

“I no longer play golf anymore or any sport and rarely do anything. Truth is I believe I now have no future.”

Judge Loury said the girl was now suffering serious mental health difficulties with her psychiatrist reporting that her symptoms continued to be disabling for her in almost all aspects of her life, such that she did not even finish her schooling.

“It seems that she tried to continue to play golf after making the complaint to police but found it impossible because you were present at tournaments,” Judge Loury said, noting that her swing coach refused to work with her after the complaint.

“She stopped playing and doesn’t play now at all,” she said.

“It is indeed a shame that a young woman with such incredible talent was provided such little support in the aftermath of her complaint by those in the golfing community that her talent has gone to waste.”

Bravehearts criminologist Carol Ronken.

Criminologist Carol Ronken who works for Bravehearts, an organisation dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child sexual abuse, praised the girl’s bravery in speaking out against her attacker.

We know that when children and young people are groomed and sexually abused, speaking out is so difficult, that she was able to disclose to her father and grandfather, and that she was believed, is the good news story,” Ms Ronken said.

“We need to ensure our children know that if they ever feel unsafe, they need to tell someone who they trust.”

Mr Ronken said the tragic long-lasting impacts the abuse had on the girl and her family were not uncommon for survivors.

“It is absolutely heartbreaking to hear this young girl express how these horrific offences have impacted on her and her life,” she said.

“Child sexual abuse can have psychological and personal lifelong impacts and can affect the way victim-survivors view themselves and relationships.

“This young girl needs to know that she did nothing wrong, that Lynch took advantage of his position and breached the trust placed in him. “

Lynch was sentenced to three years imprisonment but will only have to serve 18 months of that behind bars before he is released on a suspended sentence.

“While I understand that the most serious offences occurred in another jurisdiction and it is always difficult to comment on sentencing without hearing the evidence heard by the sentencing judge, we need to ensure that perpetrators understand the seriousness of their behaviour and that the judicial consequences meet victim-survivor and community expectations,” Ms Ronken said.

“It is important that those in the criminal justice system, as well as the community, understand that child sexual abuse can impact on children’s development across a range of domains including physical, emotional, and social, and has been linked with long term poor mental health outcomes, with those who experienced child sexual assault at greater risk of mental health issues.

“Victim-survivors need to know that when they speak out, the system will respond to assure that the consequences for the actions of offenders fits the seriousness of the offences and helps to protect others.”