Tuesday 1 November 2022 11:37 PM Ex-elite swimming coach facing multiple child sex abuse charges DIES in ... trends now Ex-elite swimming coach who trained Australian champions and was facing multiple child sex abuse charges DIES in jail awaiting trial Former elite swimming coach John Wright, 79, dies in jail after arrest last year Police alleged he indecently dealt with children on multiple occasions in 1980s Queensland Corrective Services confirm prisoner died last night in Brisbane By Michael Pickering For Daily Mail Australia Published: 23:27 GMT, 1 November 2022 | Updated: 23:35 GMT, 1 November 2022 Viewcomments A former elite swimming coach charged with multiple historic child abuse offences has died in custody. John Reginald Wright, 79, was arrested in October, 2021 after police alleged he indecently dealt with children on multiple occasions between 1980 and 1986 in the Brisbane and Rockhampton areas. Wright trained elite swimmers across Australia and overseas, including in Great Britain, over a period of decades. He was initially charged in Western Australia with nine counts of indecent dealing with children and one count of common assault, and later extradited to Brisbane. He was later charged with 20 more offences after more alleged victims came forward. John Reginald Wright, 79, was arrested in October, 2021 after police alleged he indecently dealt with children on multiple occasions between 1980 and 1986 in the Brisbane and Rockhampton areas Queensland Corrective Services confirmed a prisoner died at the Princess Alexandra Hospital Secure Unit in Brisbane last night. It was alleged Wright abuse dup to five boys at Brisbane's Chandler pool in the mid-1980s. Former Olympian Shane Lewis told Swimming Australia in 2016 that he had been sexually abused by Wright between the ages of 11 and 13 in Brisbane, as reported by the ABC. Lewis died in February 2021 with his family believing suicide was the cause. Another swimmer, Paul Shearer, alleged he had been abused by Wright on the Gold Coast in the 1980s. He also took his own life in 2020. Colin Marshall, a former junior national champion, also described how Wright physically assaulted him as a 14-year-old. Wright also trained swimmers in South Africa and headed up England's famous Kingston Royals Swimming Club. His first scheduled court appearance in October last year was abandoned after he was taken to hospital with chest pains. Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility