July 2017 Tennis coach now living in Somerset jailed for sexually abusing young teenage girl A tennis coach now living in Somerset has been locked up after sexually abusing a young teenage girl. Daniel John Sanders, 42, was jailed for six years when he appeared at Mold Crown Court yesterday (July 26). At a previous hearing the paedophile had admitted seven charges of sexual activity with a child and one of causing her to engage in sexual activity. The dad-of-three, formerly of Wrexham, now living in Merriott, had coached the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, for several years and abused her in his office and in hotels when he accompanied her to tournaments. Not only has he been jailed, but Sanders’ name will now be placed on the sex offenders’ register for life and he has been barred from working with vulnerable adults and children. An indefinite sexual harm prevention order was also made. Jailing him Judge Rhys Rowlands said: “This was just lust, plain and simple. “You took advantage of this young girl and behaved illegally towards her and this has had the most appalling effect on her and her family.” Sanders, who showed no emotion during the hearing, was told by the judge that only an immediate jail term could be justified and the only question he had to consider was its length. Simon Rogers, prosecuting, said the abuse started last summer and continued for about six months. It ended when one of the girl’s friends found text messages of a sexual nature on her phone and confronted her. Later she alerted the authorities and Sanders was arrested. He refused to answer police questions. Mr Rogers said Sanders told the girl if others knew what they were doing he would go to prison and threatened to kill himself if she told anyone. Sanders, he added, sent sexually explicit photos of himself and text messages to the girl which she would delete. But she had forgotten to do so last Christmas and the friend found them, the barrister said. After his arrest police experts were able to recover messages sent from his phone. In a victim personal statement summarised in court the victim’s father said the offences had had a profound and ongoing effect on her and the family. John Hedgecoe, defending, said Sanders realised he was facing a jail sentence. “Through these acts he has lost his marriage, his career and his reputation,” he said. He urged the judge to consider the length of the jail term and pointed out Sanders has no other qualifications apart from tennis. June 2017 Former tennis pro pleads guilty to child sex offences A former tennis professional turned coach has pleaded guilty to sexual activity with a child. Daniel Sanders, 42, formerly of Wrexham, North Wales, now living in Merriott, Somerset, pleaded guilty to seven counts of sexual activity with an underage girl and one of causing her to engage in sexual activity involving oral sex. He was granted bail until July 27 for a pre-sentence report.