Exclusive: Former Aussie Head Coach Sues T.V. Network for Defamation, Gives Swiminfo Exclusive Interview

By Phillip Whitten

SYDNEY, February 26. GREG HODGE, former Australian Swimming National High Performance Director, is suing Australia's Channel 9 over allegations he stalked and had improper dealings with Emma Fuller, a former swimmer he coached.

Hodge told the New South Wales Supreme Court, meeting in Sydney today, that the network aired a nationally-televised show that portrayed him as a sexual predator and pervert.

In an exclusive interview with SwimInfo, Hodge said: "We can prove from the tapes they [Channel 9] have been ordered by the Court to give us, that they lied about the video images, most of which were not taken by me. They edited over 3-1/2 hours of footage, cut out the important audio and made it look sinister when it was all harmless."

Echoing accusations that Ms Fuller has made, the Channel 9 story accused Coach Hodge of stalking and harassing Fuller, now 20, when she was a teenager. It also alleged he sent her love letters, kissed her and touched her inappropriately. Fuller claims her former swim coach has ruined her life.

However, Hodge told SwimInfo that Fuller's lawyers were told by a magistrate (a lower court official) that they should withdraw their case -that they were wasting the Court's time. "It was vexatious," Hodge quoted the magistrate as saying, "and if it came before him he would dismiss their case."

Tom Hughes, Coach Hodge's attorney, told the court today that the Channel 9 story portrayed his client as an obsessive, mentally sick sexual predator and a creep. He said the story has "dealt sledgehammer blows" to his client's reputation, defaming him in nine different ways.

An attorney for Channel 9, Guy Reynolds, denied the charge, characterizing it as "utterly ridiculous."

Hodge, however, said: "By the weekend we expect to have a judgment against Channel 9 and hopefully, in the next few weeks, we should hear if the girl has dropped her case."

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use