Volante appeals in September

Appeals by the prosecution and defence in the case of a disgraced gymnastics coach will be

Appeals by the prosecution and defence in the case of a disgraced gymnastics coach will be heard together, over two days in September.

The Attorney General, John Corlett, believes the twelve month suspended prison sentence handed down to 62 year-old Hal Volante was too lenient.

Mr Volante is contesting his convictions on four out of eight counts of indecently assaulting girls, aged ten to 15, on the grounds they were unsafe and unsatisfactory.

He is also appealing against a number of 'sexual prevention orders' which were imposed.

The case was one of the first to be affected by new regulations which give the courts power to impose restrictions on sexual offenders.

In this case there are about a dozen.

They include a ban on entering the Ellan Vannin Gymnastics Club, where Mr Volante was a coach, and another on going to public areas where there are children, unless he is accompanied.

Mr Volante's lawyer is arguing no such orders should have been imposed, and any that were should have been much less restrictive in scope.

He also claims the Deemster in the case misdirected the jury by, among other things, not offering common assault as an alternative, lesser charge.

The appeals will all be heard on September 4 and 5.

(Picture: Inside the Ellan Vannin Gymnastics Club, where Hal Volante was a coach).