Man raped woman during sports massage

A MAN has been charged for allegedly raping a woman after luring her to a Sunshine Coast home under the guise of offering a sports massage.

Police are now appealing for other women who may have been victims of the man to come forward.

The 22-year-old woman knew her attacker after the 38-year-old befriended her at a local gym.

When he became aware she had suffered a sports injury he offered her a sport massage at a home on First Avenue at Coolum Beach about 11.30am on Saturday.

Detective Senior Sergeant Daren Edwards said that during the sports massage the man asked the woman to remove her clothing and covered her with material before digitally raping her.

It took the woman a number of days to come forward with her story and the man was arrested and charged last night.

Senior Sergeant Edwards said the woman had “emotional injuries.”

“It’s not just always the physically injuries it’s the emotional problems that she may have now.”

Police believe the man may have had more women in his home for sports massages and would like any woman who has been sexually assaulted or raped to come forward.

“This person may be responsible for other offences before. There’s no evidence to suggest that but you have to keep it in the back of your mind that it’s a possibility,” Senior Sergeant Edwards said.

He urged women to come forward with any concerns they had and said police would support them through the process.

“Sometimes people don’t want to go through the process (of coming to police) as that continues the emotional trauma but it is a step and we certainly need to know who these people are”

The man has been released on bail under the condition he not contact his alleged victim.

He will face Maroochydore Magistrates Court on April 17 on one count of rape.

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Parents cry foul at sports selection

PARENTS and coaches who have locked horns over junior sports team selections are flooding the complaints inbox of the government-backed Play by the Rules project.

As the sporting season kicks off and Queensland clubs and schools complete trials and post team selections, the chief of the "fair play" national initiative confirms that he has been flooded with gripes from unhappy parents and coaches across all the sporting codes.

"Every parent thinks they have a star in the making and some lose sight of the fact that it is about positive participation and not all about winning or being in the A team," said Paul Oliver, who runs the Play by the Rules website supported by the Australian Sports Commission.

"Dealing with angry parents at the start of the new season is a growing problem. Some parents can have too high expectations."

The initiative works to prevent and deal with discrimination, harassment and child safety issues in sport.

"While many clubs have strict parent guidelines there are also young coaches at schools or clubs not equipped to deal with pressure from parents," Mr Oliver said.

The principal of Brisbane's Moreton Bay Boys' College and Moreton Bay College believes parents need to step back and be realistic about their children's sporting abilities as schools start posting team lists on noticeboards.

"It's typical at this time of the year for schools to come under pressure from parents who are not happy about their child missing out on the A-team or not making a team at all," principal Jennifer Haynes said.

"Usually the children are very realistic about their own sporting abilities and can be embarrassed when parents become too involved, so it's not a positive experience for anyone."

Mr Oliver believes that all clubs and schools should set hard and fast rules for parents to try to keep "negativity" at bay. The Play by the Rules website offers advice on how to make a valid complaint without causing unnecessary club or team rifts.

"The majority of the complaints we receive are about what parents perceive as unfair team selections but there is also a lot of feedback of children not getting enough game time or coaches being too rigid with rules or too aggressive. But coaches who feel pressured by pushy parents also seek out help," said Mr Oliver.

Football Queensland chief operations officer Ben Mannion believes the education of parents at clubs from day one is vital for keeping conflict at bay.

"I run the elite soccer program and managing parents is a big part of the job," he said.

"Parents of children that show some potential can be harder to handle but we have strict guidelines and we enforce them.

"Our research shows that children work better when parents are not present."

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