I do not want this to become another “Brett Sutton thread”. Instead I wanted to consolidate many threads that usually takes 8-10 pages of back and forth before details are discovered or reported, into a coherent, easy to read “primer”. I also wanted to introduce some context which seems to have been lacking in all the threads that I have read (caveat- I have not read every single post in every single thread).
I have asked Dan to make this a no reply post. I am not sure if this is possible. I just wanted this in the “archives” so that I do not feel compelled to rehash Brett Sutton’s crimes every time his name comes up (I’m sure you guys are done with that as well). On a personal note, I am actually a very laid back, mellow guy but… I treat children who have been sexually abused so I feel like I have a dog in this fight. Some may consider this post biased but I have tried to strip emotion out of this post and simply display Brett Sutton’s pattern of behavior and place it in context with other convicted sex offenders. If other’s have publicly available information to contradict things in this post, let’s consider this a “clearinghouse” of sorts. Links are always appreciated.
I very much enjoy this forum and have never meant to disrespect the moderators or the members but I am passionate about this topic.
The post is formal as I am anticipating posting on other forums.
"I am posting this statement for several reasons. The first is due to my concern about a triathlon coach named Brett Sutton, a convicted sex offender who serially sexually molested a young girl he was coaching, and who is now attempting to expand his prominence in the sport of triathlon by soliciting money from age group triathletes to fund his new project (The D.O.V.E project). Secondly, many people who are new to the sport do not know about Brett Sutton’s crimes. And finally, after reading articles in the triathlon press and participating in conversations on forums regarding Brett Sutton’s history, I believe his crimes have never been accurately viewed in the context of other convicted sex offenders who abuse young girls.
In the recent past Brett Sutton has coached top-level professional triathletes. It was their personal decision to work with him with full knowledge of his past. Now that Brett Sutton is soliciting money from people who may not know his story, it is important that all age group triathletes know his criminal history in the context of other convicted sex offenders who molest young girls.
As mentioned, Brett Sutton is a convicted sex offender who committed serial offenses against a young girl in the late 1980’s. He was convicted in Australia on 6 of 10 counts of sexual abuse of a minor in 1999 after his victim finally disclosed her abuse to the authorities. The Australian court gave him a two year suspended sentence. He was also banned for life from coaching in Australia as well being given a two-year sanction by the International Triathlon Union on attending triathlon events. (http://observer.theguardian.com/osm/story/0,,678189,00.html) Brett Sutton felt that these sanctions were unjustly imposed and ultimately they were sanctions he did not abide by. He felt he was sanctioned for “political” reasons rather than because of his conviction on multiple counts of molesting a young girl.
“There were plenty of people happy to see me fall, not so much because of what I did, but because of their own inadequacies as coaches or administrators.” (http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/opinion/sutton.html)
“During the sanction, he was suspended as a coach and banned from national sports facilities in Australia. He was also barred from attending national and international events, and when he showed up at a race in Japan a few months later, he was escorted out. An official told reporters, “It was like having a black cloud over the race.” (http://www.outsideonline.com/fitness/triathlons/They-Shoot-Triathletes--Don--146-t-They-.html)
Brett Sutton has generally used two lines of reasoning when arguing that he should be allowed to continue coaching in the sport of triathlon despite his status as a convicted sex offender.
- He sexually abused only one girl and has never been arrested again.
- He has paid his price due to his conviction and subsequent penalties.
Although he uses these two assertions as evidence that he is somehow not like other child molesters and that he deserves special consideration, neither of these assertions are unique nor particularly exceptional when compared to other convicted sex offenders who molest young girls. In fact, Brett Sutton’s pattern of molestation and negative consequences is perhaps the most typical pattern for men who molest young girls. The exceptional part of Brett Sutton’s life as a convicted sex offender is that he has continued to operate more openly and with a higher level of prestige and income than the majority of convicted sex offenders.
In terms of sex offenders who commit crimes against children, the median number of victims a non-incest, female victim convicted sex offender has is 1.3 (http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/current%20series/tandi/421-440/tandi429.html.) The average is in the 20’s because a small percentage of offenders victimize a lot of girls. The “20’s” are the ones we hear about in the media. Not the “1.3’s” like Brett Sutton. So the typical sex offender who molests young girls has only one… maybe two victims. They are never arrested again. Just as Brett Sutton has never been arrested again. Most Western societies hold all sex offenders to a different standard regardless of whether the number of their victims is 1 or 20. Societies have (in recent history at least) dealt with perpetrators of sex crimes against children very harshly. Single victim convicted sex offenders in the U.S. are permanently placed on a sex offender watch list, they often cannot live where they want, they often find it difficult to find employment, lawyers are disbarred, physicians lose their licenses, teachers get fired, coaches are not allowed to coach again, etc. They are generally expected to keep a low profile and behave in ways that show deference to the sensibilities of the public. Even in prison, they are shunned by the general prison population and are often placed in protective custody.
The grooming that Brett Sutton exhibited with his victim is typical of many child molesters. “Grooming” is defined as slowly sexualizing the relationship with a child to gain further and further sexual satisfaction. Brett Sutton’s molestation of a young girl was not the single event some would seem to think. His victim was molested multiple times over a several year period. (http://observer.theguardian.com/osm/story/0,,678189,00.html)
Brett Sutton has also maintained that the sexual abuse was consensual as many convicted sex offenders contend.
“In the end, Sutton pleaded guilty to six counts of indecent dealings. But his position has been that, even though the sex shouldn’t have happened, it was consensual.” (http://www.outsideonline.com/fitness/triathlons/They-Shoot-Triathletes--Don--146-t-They-.html).
Brett Sutton’s victim has never indicated publicly that any sexual contact with him was consensual and she was troubled enough as an adult to bring charges against him even though the abuse had stopped a decade earlier.
He cites the legal and personal consequences of his conviction and his sanctioning as another reason that he deserves special consideration among other convicted sex offenders. In reality, all convicted sex offenders suffer enormous negative consequences due to their conviction. Sex offenders are often incarcerated, lose their job, get divorced, are shunned by friends/family and often leave the area/country they reside in to find work in areas where they or their crimes are not known. Brett Sutton has repeatedly stated that he has suffered enormously from the penalties (criminal and personal) that resulted from his conviction.
So, Brett Sutton has argued that the details of his sexual molestation of a young girl somehow distinguishes him from the run of the mill sex offender and also that the punishment he endured redeems him. Since most sex offenders only offend once, the fact that he has not reoffended does not mean he is “recovered” or “rehabilitated” or “different” than other convicted sex offenders and is not reassurance that he truly appreciates the gravity of his crimes. He has historically and to this day discussed his suffering in conjunction with his victim’s suffering, which underscores his apparent inability to separately appreciate the emotional trauma his victim sustained as a result of his serial abuse from the pain he experienced as a result of his conviction.
His statements in this regard have spanned the time from shortly after he was convicted (2000) to as recently as November 2013.
2000 - “You are correct, I carry remorse over the incident. The price most people think I paid is nothing compared to how I really paid every day since. The court case only slightly lessened the load. But people still relied on me, even afterward, so I moved on, and hopefully forward.” … ”I prey on no one, now or in the past.” (http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/opinion/sutton.html)
November 2013- “because i (sic) was and stil (sic) am ashamed of what wasn’t an incident but a shattering experience for all involved” (italics my own) (http://www.slowtwitch.com/News/Inside_the_Sutton-TeamTBB_Split_4043.html)
Many in the triathlon community have been unaware of the natural course of a convicted sex offender who commits crimes against young girls. It seems this lack of understanding has enabled Brett Sutton to turn his most typical pattern of a single offense and conviction into an “exceptional” pattern that garners special consideration. But it is not. Brett Sutton is a very typical child molester who engaged in a very typical pattern of child molestation and who actually may have paid much less of a price than most child molesters. Compared to other convicted sex offenders who commit crimes against young girls, Brett Sutton has paid much less of a price in terms of prestige, income and “pain” than the vast majority of other child molesters. In this regard, Brett Sutton may indeed be an “exceptional” child molester.
To my knowledge, there are no convicted sex offenders coaching at any level in any major sports in North America. No convicted sex offenders in sport governing bodies or any convicted sex offenders who coach top athletes in their sport. No convicted sex offenders whose crimes were committed against a child in any prominent role in any mainstream sport.
As our sport continues to move more and more into the spotlight of the American public (as evidenced by increasing age group participation, higher profile celebrities doing races, etc.), Brett Sutton, if he continues to be a presence in the sport, is a liability. He will not hold up under the national spotlight. The current triathlon press is very small and has limited resources. They cannot hire forensic psychiatrists; they cannot send people (or fly themselves) to interview people from Brett’s dog racing days or boxing days. They don’t have enough money to make it worthwhile for his victim to give an interview. National media outlets do have these resources. The scrutiny he will be under when we become a more “mainstream” sport will be enormous. From a simple “branding/marketing” point of view having Brett Sutton involved at any level of the sport will be harmful.
Now that Brett Sutton is moving from coaching professional triathletes (where individual athletes can make personal decisions about whom they choose to associate themselves with) to an international call for all age group triathletes to donate money to his program, it is imperative that they know whom they are associating themselves with and to whom they are sending their money. This includes age groupers who may be outside of the “triathlon community” (i.e. all the celebrities at the Malibu triathlon, the Tri for the Cure ladies, Team Diabetes and maybe the “Overcoming Child Sexual Abuse” sprint relay team members).
People should know that despite whatever talents he may have as a coach, Brett Sutton is not a special or “exceptional” convicted sex offender. He is a typical- very typical-convicted sex offender who serially molested a young girl he was coaching.
Respectfully,
Ironpsych"
