The former Swim Ireland coach, who set up cameras at his poolside office in Dublin and recorded young girls over a year period, is set to walk free from Dublin’s Arbour Hill Prison tomorrow morning
Matthew Coward (file photo)(Image: Paddy Cummins)
A former swimming coach who is serving a sentence for the sexual exploitation of children punched a wall in a fit of rage following recent media coverage of his prison release.
Matthew Coward, 35, of Shantalla Drive, Santry, Co Dublin, was handed a three-year sentence in November 2023 after pleading guilty to sexual exploitation and producing child abuse materials.
The former Swim Ireland coach, who set up cameras at his poolside office in Dublin and recorded young girls over a year period, is set to walk free from Dublin’s Arbour Hill Prison tomorrow morning.
It’s believed he almost broke his hand after thumping a wall in the jail last Sunday as news of his release emerged.
A source said: “Coward went absolutely ballistic when he heard his face and story was in the papers.
“He thumped a wall so hard that he almost broke his hand. He was not one bit happy that his case was back in the newspapers again.
Matthew Coward in 2015(Image: Stephen McCarthy / SPORTSFILE)
“He is due for release from prison tomorrow morning and he probably hoped that he would be able to get out and integrate back into society without anyone noticing.”
The source added: “He’s not expected to return to the area he once lived.
“He will be placed on the sex offenders register and measures are no doubt being put in place for his integration back into society.”
Coward’s recording of children was discovered following a Garda investigation into his activities at a swimming complex.
In November 2023, he was handed a three-year sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to three counts of sexual exploitation of three girls and three counts of production of child pornography on dates between September 1, 2021, and February 26, 2022.
Judge Orla Crowe said at the time that Coward was in a position of dominance as a coach and that young children worshipped him.
She sentenced him to a total of four years in custody with the final 12 months suspended.
Two of the videos which were retrieved by gardai were categorised as child abuse material while a further seven were deemed as inappropriate.
Matthew Coward at Dublin District Court(Image: Gareth Chaney/Collins)
It emerged during the court case that young girls would try on “swimming skins” in the poolside office during which time their genital areas were visible.
Coward’s offence first came to light when one of the girls’ father had dropped her off at the pool during the early hours of the morning in February 2022.
The once well-regarded swim coach gave her a specialist swimsuit that could take up to 20 minutes to try on.
Children normally tried them on once at home but Coward asked this particular girl to try it on in his poolside office and told her “you have to get completely naked to put it on.”
She relayed this information to her father afterwards and he contacted Swim Ireland’s National Children’s Officer and Head of Safeguard, Kate Hills.
Other videos found on Coward’s devices showed children being filmed stretching in the swimming complex while his internet search history showed synonymous with teenage pornography.
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