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Tennis coach Andrew Geddes (55) is in prison: sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexually abusing four minors.
One of the women, tennis talent Angelique Cauchy (36), has now broken her silence before a special committee and testified about his treacherous system. She was the second best French woman in the youth sector at the time.
It is shocking how she now reveals the abuse that started when she was twelve years old. The trainer would stop by the girl’s bedside during training camps for “fun visits.” These quickly became physical and ended in abuse – up to three times a day.
She begged him to stop
“I lived through a nightmare,” Cauchy told the special committee. She thought about suicide several times. The incredible number: “Geddes raped me more than 400 times in two years.”
Geddes also told the girl he was HIV positive. A horror for Cauchy: “I lived for ten to fifteen years with the thought that I might have AIDS.” She begged him every day to stop, repeatedly telling him she didn’t want to and that he should stop touching her.
The club didn’t want to watch
But the tormentor continued. He told her, “You know, this happens sometimes in the relationship between coach and student, it’s completely normal.”
He isolated his victims from their family and friends, leaving no one to confide in. The fact that the matter was not discovered earlier also had to do with the club – which apparently did not want to look. No response was given to relevant information from witnesses.
Four victims eventually reported Geddes, and he was convicted in 2021. A special committee is now investigating hundreds of cases in tennis. The results will be published in December. (neo)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
