Champion Showjumper Says State Body Failed Her After Abuse Conviction
A former child showjumping champion has spoken publicly about being abused over a number of years by an older rider and about what she describes as a prolonged absence of support from Horse Sport Ireland, even after the man responsible was convicted and jailed. The woman, whose identity is legally protected, told the Sunday Independent that she was groomed from the age of 12 by Michael Murphy, who was later convicted of defilement of a minor and is currently serving a prison sentence. Murphy has appealed the conviction and remains in custody.
In her victim impact statement, she said: “It took me far too long to realise that I was not wrong, and this was not my fault. I was just a child.”
She described years of coercive control, intimidation, and fear, saying Murphy restricted who she could speak to, demanded access to her phone, and threatened her into silence.
“I was in sheer fear of this person,” she said. “I was told I would be killed and buried in a bog if I told anybody.”
“No Call Back Ever Came”
The woman said that in 2021, she contacted Horse Sport Ireland on multiple occasions seeking help and disclosing that she had been sexually assaulted.
“I rang the HSI office around five times,” she said. “I was told someone would call me back. That never happened.”
She said the absence of any response left her feeling isolated and unsupported at a critical point, ultimately contributing to her decision to step away from showjumping.
“In the end, I gave up and went racing. I just couldn’t deal with HSI.”
She contrasted this with the support she later received from the Turf Club following a serious injury sustained while racing, describing the difference as “stark”.
Letter Seeking Reinstatement
The woman said she was deeply distressed to learn that in 2022, Horse Sport Ireland had written to Mullingar Equestrian Centre seeking Murphy’s reinstatement at an event after he had been charged with a series of sexual offences against her. HSI has stated that it was not aware at that time that Murphy was the subject of court proceedings relating to child protection allegations. The woman disputes this, saying the organisation should have undertaken its own checks before intervening on his behalf. HSI later confirmed that once Showjumping Ireland suspended Murphy’s membership, his FEI licence was also suspended as a consequence.
In a statement, an HSI spokesperson said: “HSI has no record of any such calls. No telephone call of this nature to a sporting organisation should ever be left without a response. This should not have happened in this case, and HSI sincerely apologises to the young woman who was the victim.”
The woman said she found earlier statements from HSI suggesting that questioning its actions could be “defamatory” deeply upsetting.
“It’s like a stab in the gut,” she said. “They are trying to shut comments down instead of opening their minds to improvements in their child protection practices.”
She is calling for a public apology from Horse Sport Ireland to herself and to the equestrian centre involved.
A Pattern She Recognises
The rider said she sees clear parallels between her experience and that of Katie Simpson, the Northern Irish showjumper who was killed by her trainer in 2022. “It is coercive control,” she said. “Sometimes the love for what you’re doing blinds you to what they’re doing and the way they’re controlling you.” She added that within some equestrian environments, young female riders often lack a trusted adult or female presence to turn to when something feels wrong. “There’s rarely a female character there that you can turn to or have as a close friend.”
Why This Case Matters
The woman says she continues to live in fear of intimidation from Murphy’s supporters and believes her experience raises wider questions about how safeguarding concerns are handled when raised by young athletes. Her account, supported by a criminal conviction, documented correspondence, and her own repeated attempts to seek help, highlights the consequences when those concerns go unanswered. Safeguarding systems, she argues, must operate before convictions, not after them.
