The 63-year-old began molesting his student Kelley Currin in the 1980's when he was 33 and she was just 13, and admitted to first having sex with her when she was 15.

The coach abused her in hotels while at swimming competitions and even at her family's home.

Despite his defence seeking probation, claiming that he was a reformed character, Curl was sentenced to seven years imprisonment.

"She was this naive young girl who wanted to please and you sought her out," Judge Marielsa Bernard said.

"This is a classic example of someone in a position of trust [who] abuses that position.

"I have a picture of a little girl swimming under your tutelage when she's not even 10.

"She respects you, she trusts you, she believes you, she looks up to you.

"What a terrible situation for her she's in love with you.

"Such psychological damage was done to her."


Curl groomed Currin for four years, repeatedly telling her that he would go on to marry her and have children with her.

"I loved, trusted and cherished him as much as a young girl's heart and mind could," said Currin, who suffered through alcoholism and an eating disorder in her adult life.

Her parents found out about the abuse after reading through her diary, and agreed an out of court settlement of $150,000 (£99,0000/€116,000) in 1989 for their silence.

The Curl-Burke Swim Club at which the coach formerly worked has changed its name to the Nation's Capital Swim Club since the revelations came to light.

Currin, now 43, claimed that the abuse was "the worst-kept secret in Washington, D.C., and, indeed, in the swimming world," and called for USA Swimming to be investigated for protecting "predator coaches" and allowing them to keep their jobs in the face of sex abuse allegations.

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