A former Olympic athletics coach has denied raping and sexually assaulting a child.
Jose Vicente Leiva-Modahl, 65, who was previously married to former Olympic middle-distance runner Diane Modahl, appeared at Manchester Crown Court where he pleaded not guilty to 19 charges.
Judge Nicholas Dean KC, Honorary Recorder of Manchester, released him on bail but said the first available trial date would be September 4, 2028.
He said: “It simply cannot be right that a case of this nature has to be adjourned until 2028, but that is beyond my control.”
Mr. Modahl, whose name is Vicente Modahl, is due to appear before the same court for a pretrial hearing on June 8.
He denies five counts of rape, four counts of assault by penetration, six counts of sexual assault, two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity and one count of coercive or controlling behavior.
All of the crimes, which allegedly took place between 2012 and 2024, were linked to a single woman who cannot be identified.
The judge told Mr Modahl: “It is with great regret that I adjourn any trial for a period of three years, but that is the situation at the moment.
“It is a stark contrast to the position we would be in if this defendant were in custody – we would be trying the case in the summer of next year.”
He told the defendant to stay in touch with his lawyers, who will try to get an earlier trial date, if one becomes available.
And he added: “It is a great regret for me, certainly a disappointment for you, but we are dealing with a very important volume of work. The possibility of an earlier date will be discussed with your lawyers.”
Mr Modahl’s bail conditions are that he reside at an address in the Warrington area, observe a curfew with electronic monitoring from 9pm to 7am and not contact witnesses in the case.
The suspect, who was arrested at an airport while returning to the UK from Spain, must also refrain from requesting any travel documents from British, Norwegian or Spanish authorities, and was also ordered to hand over his Spanish passport.
You should not have unsupervised contact with anyone under 18 years of age.
Modahl trained British athletes such as Diane Modahl, David Grindley and Guy Bullock and also acted as an agent.
He has been suspended by UK Athletics’ governing body.