Central Coast: Former life coach counsellor Patrick McNally pleads not guilty as new charges are added
A former “life coach” has denied sexually and indecently assaulting young teenage girls. It comes as two new victims have come forward prompting further charges, a court has heard.
Central Coast
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A former counsellor has been arraigned to face trial on a further eight new charges of allegedly sexually and indecently assaulting teenage girls after two more victims came forward, a court has heard.
Patrick Joseph McNally, 71, of Bulahdelah, appeared via video link at Gosford District Court on Thursday where he was arraigned on 15 charges of indecently and sexually abusing six teenage girls on the Central Coast between 2010 and 2020.
The Crown prosecutor told the court McNally had originally been charged with seven alleged offences against four girls but since then two more complainants have come forward to police resulting in further charges.
Dressed in a dark suit, McNally replied “not guilty” as each of the charges were read out to him.
The charges include four counts of assault with an act of indecency, three counts of assault with an act of indecency in circumstances of aggravation, two counts of inciting a person under 16 to indecently touch him and six counts of aggravated sexual touching.
Police allege nine of the charges were aggravated because the victims were under McNally’s authority as their “life coach counsellor” at the time.
It comes after police launched an investigation in 2018 following reports four girls — aged between 14 and 17 — had been assaulted at two counselling clinics on the Central Coast.
The retired father-of-four was arrested at his Bulahdelah address on October 27, 2022 and faced Forster Local Court the following day where he was granted bail.
On Thursday the Crown prosecutor told the court the trial was expected to take “three to four weeks” which required it to be moved to Sydney District Court.
As a busy regional court Gosford can only accommodate trials with an estimated duration of about two weeks.
Judge Tanya Bright adjourned the matter to Sydney on October 25 to fix a trial date and McNally’s bail was continued.
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