ULSTER RUGBY COACH VENTS ‘FRUSTRATION’ OVER TRIAL
ULSTER Rugby’s head coach has said the last few weeks have ‘been a bit frustrating’.
Ulster Rugby and the Irish Rugby Football Union are holding a review after star performers and Irish internationals Paddy Jackson, 26, and Stuart Olding, 25, were unanimously acquitted last week of rape.
The case has prompted a wave of media and public comment, with many people complaining about how the trial was handled.
Ulster Rugby coach Jono Gibbes said: ‘My personal experience of the last few weeks has been a bit frustrating really.’ He said it was a new situation for him. ‘It is a difficult situation, but I can not control any of that stuff and there’s people with a hugely significant level of expertise to deal with things and that is their department,’ he added. He said he was focused on his job. Social media usage by members of the public has been a major issue after the trial.
Mr Gibbes said he did not enforce a social media policy on his team but acknowledged the impact of months of legal proceedings. He added: ‘It has been part of the group, if you like, for 21 months.’
Ulster player Louis Ludik said they were aware of the trial. ‘It is impossible not to be aware of it, all we can control is the rugby. We have to be focused on the rugby itself,’ he said.
‘Everyone has a different opinion, all we can do is focus on the rugby.’
Thousands of people have attended rallies to demonstrate following the outcome of the trial.
Demonstrations were held in several cities across Ireland including Dublin, Belfast, Galway and Cork.
On Thursday, Paddy Jackson’s legal team said defamation proceedings were being launched against Labour senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin over social media comments the politician made about the rugby international’s acquittal. The Twitter post was subsequently deleted. However, news of the civil suit sparked a social media backlash with a campaign titled #SueMeTooPaddy gaining huge traction on Twitter.
Mr Jackson was also found not guilty of sexual assault in the trial.
Two other men were acquitted of lesser charges related to the same incident in June 2016.
Blane McIlroy, 26, was acquitted of exposure while Rory Harrison, 25, was found not guilty of perverting the course of justice and withholding information.
The high-profile trial, which ran for 42 days, generated an unprecedented level of public attention and prompted calls from Mr Jackson’s defence solicitor for a crackdown on social media comment during criminal proceedings.
It has also renewed the debate on whether defendants in rape trials in the North should also be entitled to anonymity, with their names only being revealed if they are convicted.