A former tennis coach who was recently sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison in Britain for multiple child-sex offences worked at four different tennis clubs in the northwest of Ireland from late 2021 to early 2023, it has emerged.
Sean Francis McGranaghan (33), with an address at the Mill Apartments, Dromahair, Co Leitrim, was found guilty of two counts of attempting sexual communication with a child and two counts of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court.
The conviction came after an investigation by the UK’s southwest Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU)
Det Insp David Wells, from SWROCU’s Online Investigations Team, said McGranaghan, who had pleaded not guilty, was “a dangerous individual who has never admitted any liability for his heinous crimes”.
He said he was pleased McGranaghan had been given “a significant custodial sentence in response to this [and] will no longer pose a risk to children whilst incarcerated”.
McGranaghan came to the attention of SWROCU after making contact online with a specialist covert officer who he thought was a child in January 2023. He also came to the attention of covert officers within the Metropolitan Police area later last year when he communicated with an individual who he thought was a child.
He was arrested at Gatwick Airport in May 2023 by SWROCU officers from the Online Investigations Team and remained in the UK on bail in advance of the trial.
Speaking on RTÉ Morning Ireland on Friday the chief executive of Tennis Ireland, Kevin Quinn, said the organisation became aware of the conviction earlier this month.
It immediately established “a small working group to identify where he worked” and to “contact those clubs and make sure that we got this very serious information and [McGranaghan’s] name out to all the members as soon as possible”.
It emerged the man had worked in clubs in Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo and Donegal. Mr Quinn said all the clubs had been “very proactive” in alerting their members to the conviction.
“He wasn’t on the Garda radar at any time, no flags were raised and he obviously was working in the UK for many years before that,” Mr Quinn said.
He said that as part of the process – alongside Garda vetting – it was “independently verified” he was who he said he was and “that he was an appropriate person to work with children and with adults on court”.
Mr Quinn said the former coach had left the Irish system early in 2023, saying he was returning to the UK for personal reasons and stressed that Tennis Ireland was “not aware of any inappropriate behaviour related to [McGranaghan]”.
He added the clubs “are contacting all of their members”.
Sligo Tennis Club issued a statement to its members in which it said it had been “advised by Tennis Ireland that Sean McGranaghan, who previously coached at our club [September 2021-December 2022], has been convicted and sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison in England”.
It said it was “working to identify the children who attended coaching groups during the time Mr McGranaghan was coaching”.
“We will be making every effort to contact all parents in due course”, it said, adding there was “no indication that any inappropriate conduct occurred at the club”.
The statement added it “adheres strictly to all safeguarding requirements set forth by Sport Ireland, Tennis Ireland, Badminton Ireland and Irish Squash” and said that “as per safeguarding policies, Mr McGranaghan was Garda vetted and had all appropriate Tennis Ireland coaching qualifications requirements”.