Former Celtic youth team coach jailed after pleading guilty to child sex abuse
Jim McCafferty, who joined the Glasgow club in 1990, will serve half the sentence on licence
A former Celtic Football Club youth coach has been jailed after pleading guilty to sexual activity with a child.
Jim McCafferty, 72, was sentenced to three years and nine months after admitting eight charges of sexual offences against the teenager over a three-year period between 2012 and 2015.
The victim was aged 14 to 16 at the time of the attacks.
The pensioner had initially pleaded not guilty to the charges but changed his plea on the day of his trial in May 2018.
During the sentencing hearing at Belfast Crown Court, Judge Patricia Smyth said McCafferty, who joined Celtic in 1990 and also worked at Hibernian FC, had “abused trust placed in you by his family”.
"You ingratiated yourself into your victim's family, gaining first the trust of his mother who regarded you as a role model for her children,” she said.
"You... assaulting him in your home and his home. The impact on your victim and his family has been significant."
Judge Smyth said McCafferty believed his behaviour was "a bit of fun" for the teenager, adding: "You continue to hold that view."
He will serve half of the sentence in custody and the remaining half on licence.
Mr McCafferty was arrested in December 2016 after admitted to abusing his victim when approached by Daily Mirror journalist Jilly Beattie.
The victim's mother welcomed the sentencing saying the abuse would "have an impact on him for the rest of his life".
"It has been in incredibly tough two years for my family, something no mother should ever have to go through," she said in a statement.
"My son is kind and caring and compassionate. He is a young man and this will have an impact on him for the rest of his life.
"However, although extremely harrowing, he knows taking this difficult decision to report this abuse was the right choice for him to make and today we have seen his abuser brought to justice.
"My son was treated with sensitivity, patience and respect by the investigating officers, and I would encourage anyone who has been the victim of sexual abuse to report it to the police."
Mr McCafferty will also will remain on the sexual offenders register for an “indefinite period”.
Additional reporting by Associated Press