Tennis coach Claire Lyte jailed for child sex

Nov 3 2007 by Liza Williams, Liverpool Daily Post

TENNIS coach Claire Lyte – a former top 500 player – is starting a jail sentence today after being convicted on four charges of sexual activity involving a 13-year-old girl from Merseyside.

Lyte, 29, who was said to have “thrown away a glittering career”, showed no emotion as she given two years and nine months at Liverpool Crown Court.

She was also banned indefinitely from working with children and ordered to sign the sex offenders register.

Lyte, 29, from Shirley, Solihull, West Midlands, who was convicted last month after a two- week trial, was caught performing a sex act on the child, her pupil at the LTA academy, by the youngster’s mother.

Sentencing Lyte, Judge Nigel Gilmour, QC, told her: “In attempting to escape conviction, you alleged that three generations of the victim’s family were all part of a wicked conspiracy to get you convicted of crimes you hadn’t committed.

“The jury rejected those wicked allegations of yours.

“There wasn’t and never has been such a conspiracy by the family. The jury accepted the victim and her family were substantial witnesses of truth and could be relied upon.”

Referring to Lyte’s parents, Colin and Gillian, he added: “I am sure your parents in all other respects are wholly admirable members of society, but have given lying evidence to the jury, no doubt at your request and encouragement.” He said Lyte had committed a breach of trust and added: “The girl’s family expected you to look after her and she was entrusted in your care.

“You corrupted that girl and advanced her experiences of sexual matters by some years.”

He said that the girl’s consent was limited because she was a “13-year-old infatuated girl”.

“You welcomed her attention and encouraged it and then manipulated what had become her infatuation with you and did that for your own selfish sexual ends.

“I am sure you had feelings of affection for her.

“As you have said in your evidence, you allowed your heart to rule your head.

“It’s a measure of your own infatuation with the child that you created opportunities to be alone with her even though that put your employment at risk.

“These were not spontaneous and unplanned acts – they could only take place through the deception of your employer.”

Judge Gilmour said an aggravating feature was the fact that Lyte had ignored warnings from her employers to cool relations with children she was over-friendly with. In mitigation, her barrister, David Mason, said the victim, who is from Merseyside, had begun playing tennis again.

He said: “Thankfully, she has started to get her tennis life back on track.

“It is not one of those cases where her whole future has been destroyed by this defendant.

“She is young enough to get back on track and, of course, have a fruitful career.”

Asking for leniency with the sentence, he added: “It’s right she will never coach tennis again and certainly she will never coach children again, which is tragic – tennis was her lifelong passion and she has thrown away a glittering career.”

Outside court, Lyte’s solicitor Margaret Coall, flanked by the defendant’s parents, confirmed the defence team were appealing.

A spokesman for Lyte’s former employers, the Lawn Tennis Association, said: “We intend to continue working closely with the police to help us further develop our procedures in relation to child protection.”

lizawilliams