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Paul Hickson

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Paul Anthony Hickson (10 May 1947 – 27 December 2008) was a serial rapist and a British former swimming coach, originally from Leicestershire. He coached the British Olympic swimming team at two Olympics in the 1980s, but behind his sporting prowess, he had been a determined and devious serial rapist of teenage female swimmers, who had misplaced their trust in him.[tone]

Early life

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He grew up on Norwich Road in Leicester, the son of Arthur Walter Hickson (1914–2000) and Iris Mary Wilby (1920–2009), who had married in 1940.[1][2] His grandparents were John Henry (1888–1978) and Elizabeth Hickson (1886–1949).

At grammar school (since 1976 the comprehensive City of Leicester College) he swam for Abbey house. He gained two A-levels.[3] He swam for Knighton Fields swimming club in the 1960s,[4] and also took part in diving competitions.[5] He later swam with Leicester Swimming Club at Vestry Street Baths (closed around 1973, demolished, now Curve theatre).

He trained as a physical education teacher at Borough Road College, a teacher training college, in Isleworth (Osterley), around 1967.[6] This college became West London Institute of Higher Education in 1976 when it merged with Maria Grey Training College, and part of Brunel University London in 1997.

Career

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Norwich

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He taught for a few years at a Norwich comprehensive school, becoming the head of football for Norwich schools. He set up his own swimming club, as he did not think that the local swimming clubs had the sufficient standard that he was looking for.[7] At Norfolk he coached David Stacey. He worked with the England youth swimming team from 1978. He became head of the England youth swimming team in April 1981, aged 33. He would take over at the City of Coventry swimming club in mid-September 1981.[8][9]

Coventry

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He moved from a Norwich swimming club to a West Midlands swimming club in September 1981. At Coventry was Annabelle Cripps, Bettina Doyle, Paul Howe, Gareth Sykes and David Stacey.[10] His Coventry team came second in national competitions against teams such as Barnet Copthall of north London, Nova Centurion of Nottingham, Wigan Wasps and Beckenham.[11] [12][13] He was selected as a coach for the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane.[14]

He went as a coach to the 1982 World Aquatics Championships in Guayaquil in Ecuador at the end of July 1982, where he complained about the team's travel arrangements and accommodation.[15]

In mid-January 1983, he was given three months notice by the swimming club's chairman after unpaid bills were discovered in November 1982, and the club's finances were deteriorating. [16] He left Coventry on Tuesday 12 April 1983, and would join Swansea on 1 June 1983.[17][18]

University College Swansea

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In 1983, he moved to University College Swansea, where he trained Duncan Rolley (brother of Andy Rolley) and Helen Walsh.

On 22 January 1986, he was appointed to be the England team coach, which was not paid, with only expenses.[19] He was the head coach for the 1986 World Aquatics Championships in August 1986 in Spain and the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.[20] He had a dispute about the opening hours of the Royal Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh, which did not open until 8am. With the Australian team manager, he complained to the City of Edinburgh District Council.[21]

He coached the British swimming team at the 1984 Summer Olympics. He developed the early career of Kathy Read[22] and Karen Mellor.[23]

He took the British team to the U.S. Open (swimming) in December 1986 in Florida.[24]

He was the head swimming coach for the 1988 Summer Olympics, and team manager for the July 1987 World Student Games in Zagreb, Yugoslavia, featuring Elaine Gilfillan of the Dunfermline College of Physical Education and Neil Cochran of the University of Aberdeen, and Arizona State University.[25][26] The team won three medals at the 1988 Summer Olympics; British Olympic head swimming coaches were appointed by the Amateur Swimming Federation of Great Britain.[27]

He was chosen to be the team manager for the 1989 Summer Universiade, which was to be in Brazil, but was held in West Germany without any swimming events.[28][29] On 16 November 1989, he wrote to The Times, discussing the Commonwealth Games Council for Wales, giving an address in Uplands, Swansea.

In June 1991, he picked a team of 30 swimmers for the July 1991 World Student Games, with 19 males and 11 females; 11 of these were studying at American universities, with Richard Leishman of the University of South Carolina and Sean McQuaid of Loughborough University, both from Scotland.[30]

Somerset

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Whilst studying for an M.Sc. course at University College Swansea, he became the swimming coach at an independent school in Somerset in September 1991.[31]

He was the England team coach for the July 1992 European Schools Swimming Championships in Caen in northern France.[32]

Sexual assaults

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Norwich

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He had carried out sexual assaults and rape on teenage girls from at least 30 September 1976, when in Norwich.

Swansea

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In 1986, the ASA had been told by a male swimmer that Hickson had given female swimmers unwelcome attention. But as the women were over the age of 16, the ASA saw nothing that was obviously illegal.[33]

When assistant director of physical education at University College Swansea, in 1987, he had made a female student strip naked in a fitness test. The student had complained to the university, but Hickson received only a written warning from the director of physical education, Stan Addicott, around the end of 1987. Notably, the female who complained was not a swimmer, but had required a fitness test for her interest in rock climbing; on the first fitness test the procedure followed was nothing out of the ordinary, but it was on the subsequent second test that Hickson asked the student to strip naked; she complied, but was not that unexpectedly alarmed until when Hickson stripped as well, and tried to kiss her; at the September 1995 trial, the jury did not find Hickson guilty on this assault.[34]

Female students were advised not to be alone with him in fitness tests. It transpired that six other female students had been stripped naked by him during such fitness tests. The university did not alert the British Olympic Association or the Amateur Swimming Federation (headquartered in Loughborough) about his conduct. The university had viewed the incident as a 'one off', as no other incidents had been reported. When applying for his next position as a swimming coach, the university had also given him an excellent reference.[35]

Somerset

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On 21 July 1992, 16-year-old Emma-Jane Needle of Porthcawl mentioned that Hickson had tried to molest her, accidentally overheard by police Detective Sergeant Roger Went.[36][37]

On 12 September 1992, Hickson was suspended from his position as coach at the Millfield independent school after allegations of serious sexual assaults against teenage girls between 1984 and 1991, when working as a coach at University College Swansea, which South Wales Police investigated,led by Detective Inspector Bryan Jenkins. In September 1992, four female witnesses were firstly interviewed by Detective Sergeant Tony Thomas, of the Family Support Unit in Skewen.[38]

He was given eight charges of indecent assault and one charge of rape at Cockett police station on 3 November 1992, and appeared at a Swansea court on 8 December 1992.[39][40] Five of the eight females claiming assault had been under 16.[41]

France

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In September 1993, he absconded from appearing at Swansea Court, in relation to indecent assaults on eight teenage girls.[42]

Arrest

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During Crimewatch on 17 February 1994, Hickson was featured in the Photocall segment.[43] Four previous swimmers from Norwich contacted Crimewatch, with two reporting rape (from 1976 to 1977).[44][45] Had he not absconded, and his picture appeared on Crimewatch, these rapes may not have been reported.

On 23 December 1994, he was followed by police after arriving in Kent from Roubaix in northern France, and was found at Center Parcs holiday village in Sherwood Forest and re-arrested. Hickson had travelled the whole world with the British team, and Swansea police had had beliefs that he could end up in a place like Australia or the United States, requiring extradition if discovered. His solicitor was David Hutchinson. His wife offered £25,000 for bail, but any bail was refused.[46] On 31 January 1995 at a Swansea court, he was given another charge of rape. He was held in HM Prison Swansea.

Court

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He eventually appeared at Cardiff Crown Court on 5 September 1995, where he was accused of carrying out systematic indecent assault and rape over fifteen years. He was prosecuted by Sir Wyn Williams[47] and defended by Sir Anthony Evans. Nine females gave evidence against him in court. To explain the naked examination of female undergraduate swimmers, he said that a female had voluntarily dropped her shorts and underclothes, adding that he was "very embarrassed and nonplussed by the entire situation. I left the room, telling her to get dressed, and that I would come back in a moment".[48]

John Prosser gave him 12 years for two rapes, and five years for the indecent assaults.

Conviction

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On 27 September 1995, he was convicted of fifteen of the seventeen charges, including two of rape, by a jury of eight men and four women. He was cleared of two charges of indecent assault against a former Commonwealth Games swimmer and a twenty-year-old Swansea University student.[49][50] Hickson was sentenced to 17 years imprisonment following the three-week trial. Following his conviction, the chief executive of the Amateur Swimming Federation of Great Britain expressed that the body were "extremely concerned" that one of their coaches could be guilty of such offences and assured parents that vetting and supervision procedures would be reviewed and tightened.[51] At conviction, David Sparkes was the chief executive of the Amateur Swimming Association of Great Britain, later the head of British Swimming. A mother of a female swimmer said 'Hickson, at the time, had an almost god-like image in the sport. He also had the gift of the gab, and was very manipulative'.[52][53]

On 28 September 1995 a large picture of him appeared on the front page of The Times; its editorial mentioned the National Coaching Foundation and the National Association of Sports Coaches, and reported that, unlike school teachers, children's sports coaches did not require a criminal record check.

The sentence was reduced from 17 to 15 yrs in February 1997, on an appeal, by Joyanne Bracewell.[54]

On 18 March 1998, the 50-minute Dreams of Gold was shown as part of Crimewatch File on BBC1, narrated by Jill Dando.[55] The case was featured on File on 4[56] on 10 July 2012 on BBC Radio 4. It was featured on 24 May 2016 on Radio 5 Live.[57]

In October 2002, Hickson attempted to acquire early parole, but it was rejected by Sir Roderick Evans, who noted that the parole board did not accept he had sufficiently changed his lifestyle to prevent him reoffending. Evans further expressed that Hickson had to demonstrate that the likelihood of him reoffending again was reduced, suggesting that this could not be demonstrated solely by the passage of time.[58]

Personal life

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He suffered from asthma.[59]

He had married when 21, and had a daughter. He lived on Luddon Lane in Baltonsborough in the early 1990s.[60]

References

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  1. ^ Leicester Mercury, 9 August 1984, page 8
  2. ^ Leicester Mercury, 15 March 1978, page 17
  3. ^ Leicester Mercury, 28 September 1995, page 3
  4. ^ Coventry Evening Telegraph, 6 February 1965, page 11
  5. ^ Leicester Mercury, 18 December 1965, page 17
  6. ^ Leicester Mercury, 30 March 1967, page 24
  7. ^ Coventry Evening Telegraph, 21 October 1981, page 22
  8. ^ Coventry Evening Telegraph, 9 April 1981, page 36
  9. ^ Coventry Evening Telegraph, 30 September 1981, page 26
  10. ^ Coventry Evening Telegraph, 17 October 1981, page 18
  11. ^ Coventry Evening Telegraph, 22 January 1982, page 28
  12. ^ Coventry Evening Telegraph, 29 January 1982, page 29
  13. ^ Coventry Evening Telegraph, 5 February 1982, page 33
  14. ^ Coventry Evening Telegraph, 11 June 1982, page 29
  15. ^ Coventry Evening Telegraph, 26 August 1982, page 2
  16. ^ Coventry Evening Telegraph, 14 January 1983, page 32
  17. ^ Coventry Evening Telegraph, 15 April 1983 page 35
  18. ^ South Wales Echo, 28 May 1983, page 38
  19. ^ Coventry Evening Telegraph, 23 January 1986
  20. ^ Coventry Evening Telegraph, 29 May 1986
  21. ^ Coventry Evening Telegraph, 21 July 1986, page 24
  22. ^ Times, 31 May 1984, page 28
  23. ^ Times, 30 January 1987, page 39
  24. ^ Times, 20 November 1986, page 39
  25. ^ Aberdeen Evening Express, 25 February 1984, page 10
  26. ^ Dundee Courier, 5 June 1987, page 19
  27. ^ Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 17 November 1988, page 24
  28. ^ Times, 23 November 23 1988
  29. ^ Times, 24 October 1989
  30. ^ Dundee Courier, 11 June 1991
  31. ^ Central Somerset Gazette, 31 January 1991, page 54
  32. ^ Loughborough Echo, 1 May 1992, page 79
  33. ^ Times, 28 September 1995, page 5
  34. ^ South Wales Evening Post, 28 September 1995, page 12
  35. ^ Daily Mirror, 28 September 1995, page 6
  36. ^ Western Daily Press, 30 September 1995, page 2
  37. ^ Port Talbot Guardian, 17 April 1980
  38. ^ South Wales Evening Post, 28 September 1995, page 12
  39. ^ South Wales Daily Post, 4 November 1992, page 3
  40. ^ Birmingham Daily Post, 9 December 1992, page 6
  41. ^ South Wales Evening Post, 27 December 1994, page 1
  42. ^ Daily Mirror, 21 December 1993, page 6
  43. ^ Crimewatch BBC1 17 February 1994
  44. ^ Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 28 December 1994, page 4
  45. ^ Daily Mirror, 28 September 1995, page 7
  46. ^ Western Daily Press, 4 January 1995, page 14
  47. ^ Daily Mirror, 7 September 1995, page 19
  48. ^ Western Daily Press, 21 September 1995, page 21
  49. ^ "Rapist swim coach jailed for 17 years". Liverpool Echo. 27 September 1995. p. 4.
  50. ^ "Pervert swim coach is jailed". Birmingham Evening Mail. 28 September 1995. p. 22.
  51. ^ "Sex-fiend swimming coach starts 17-year jail sentence". The Birmingham Post. 28 September 1995. p. 6.
  52. ^ Western Daily Press Thursday 28 September 1995, page 2
  53. ^ South Wales Evening Post, 28 September 1995, page 1
  54. ^ Coventry Evening Telegraph 15 February 1997, page 9
  55. ^ Crimewatch File March 1998
  56. ^ BBC Radio 4 July 2012
  57. ^ Radio 5 Live May 2016
  58. ^ "Poolside pervert to stay behind bars". Daily Mirror. 30 October 2002. Retrieved 21 January 2023 – via The Free Library.
  59. ^ Coventry Evening Telegraph Friday 30 May 1986
  60. ^ Liverpool Echo 28 December 1994, page 4
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