United Kingdom football sexual abuse scandal

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A sexual abuse scandal involving mainly young male English victims was revealed in mid-November 2016 when former professional footballers waived their rights to anonymity and talked publicly about child sexual abuse by former football coaches in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.

Echoing similar revelations in the 1990s, the initial 2016 allegations centred on abuse of young players at Crewe Alexandra and Manchester City due to the clubs' associations with Barry Bennell (previously convicted of sexual abuse offences in the US and UK), who became the first person charged with new offences. Subsequent allegations included a former Newcastle United youth coach George Ormond (imprisoned in 2002 for offences against young footballers in the area) and a former scout, Eddie Heath, at Chelsea, plus allegations that both clubs tried to cover up the abuse. Allegations of abuse by coach Bob Higgins at Southampton were also made. In early December, allegations about former youth coaches in Scotland and Northern Ireland also emerged. By mid December, in response to allegations from 350 individuals, The Football Association, the Scottish Football Association, several football clubs and over 20 UK police forces had established various inquiries and investigations; on 9 December 2016, 83 potential suspects and 98 clubs were involved.

Alleged abusers[edit]

The sexual abuse allegations related to several publicly identified individuals, listed below in the order of which they were named as the scandal developed in late 2016.

Barry Bennell[edit]

On 16 November 2016, former Crewe defender Andy Woodward alleged in an interview with The Guardian newspaper that he had been the victim of child sexual abuse by former football coach Barry Bennell at the club in the 1980s.[1][2][3] By 21 November, it was reported that six other people had contacted the police.[4]

On 22 November, The Guardian alleged that Crewe team mate Steve Walters had been another of Bennell's victims,[5] while Woodward criticised Crewe for failing to apologise.[6] On 24 November, Dario Gradi, manager at Crewe during the early 1980s, released a statement saying he knew nothing of Bennell's crimes until Bennell was arrested in the United States in 1994.[7][8]

On 23 November, former Manchester City players David White and Paul Stewart made similar sex abuse allegations about Bennell,[9] and about another coach[10] (later named as Frank Roper) at the Nova feeder club.[11] Cheshire police said they had been contacted by 11 people (including Walters, but excluding White and Stewart) regarding the Bennell case.[12] On 25 November, two further youth players, Jason Dunford[13] and Chris Unsworth, also alleged sexual abuse by Bennell, initially at a Manchester City nursery team[14] (Dunford also later spoke of abuse by Frank Roper).[11] On 27 November, another former Crewe player, Anthony Hughes, revealed that he too had been abused by Bennell.[15] Wales and Manchester United youth player Matthew Monaghan,[16][17] former Preston North End reserve team player David Lean,[17][18] and Wimbledon and ex Northern Ireland international Mark Williams also alleged abuse by Bennell.[19][20]

Doubt regarding Crewe's claims of ignorance began to emerge on 25 November. First, Hamilton Smith, a director at Crewe Alexandra from 1986 to 1990, told the Guardian that the club heard an allegation that Bennell had sexually abused a junior footballer. However, Bennell was allowed to stay at the club – despite the then chairman, Norman Rowlinson, recommending that the club "get him out" and raising concerns with Manchester City – so long as Bennell was not left alone with boys and was stopped from arranging overnight stays.[21] Smith said fellow directors did not want to rely on hearsay evidence and local gossip. In 2001 Smith met Tony Pickerin, the Football Association's head of education and child protection, and requested an FA investigation into the care of children at Gresty Road. He later received a three-line letter from Pickerin saying the FA had “investigated the issues and is satisfied that there is no case to answer.”[21]

Second, on 7 December, the BBC reported that the mother of a former Crewe youth team player wrote an anonymous letter to Dario Gradi in 1989–90, asking him to investigate "inappropriate" behaviour whereby a member of staff "took lots of boys into his room overnight" during a weekend away in Blackpool.[22]

Bennell's background[edit]

Bennell had worked for at least four English professional clubs: Manchester City, Crewe (from around 1984 until he was sacked in 1992 for reasons that have never been made public), Stoke City and Leeds United,[23] and from 1992 to 1994 was head coach of the Staffordshire side Stone Dominoes.[24] During a 1994 Dominoes tour to the United States, a 13-year-old club player claimed that Bennell had sexually abused him. Bennell was arrested in Jacksonville, Florida, and eventually charged on six counts of sexual battery and lewd and lascivious behavior. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years' imprisonment.[23]

In the meantime, in 1996, a UK Channel 4 Dispatches programme highlighted child abuse allegations involving Bennell (also other coaches: Keith Ketley in Ipswich, Bob Higgins in Hampshire). The documentary featured Ian Ackley, a former player at Derbyshire youth side White Knowl, who was one of four boys who had come forward to British police after Bennell's US arrest.[25][26] As a result, although Bennell did not serve the full term of imprisonment in America, he was arrested again on his return to England.[23]

In February 1998, Bennell appeared at Mold Crown Court in north Wales and pleaded not guilty to charges of indecent assault, buggery and attempted buggery dating back to the 1970s and 1980s through to 1992, against children aged between nine and 15, with offences alleged to have taken place in Derbyshire, in the Crewe area and at Butlin's in Pwllheli, north Wales. Bennell was remanded in custody to appear at Chester Crown Court in June 1998.[27] At Chester, Bennell was found guilty of 23 offences against six boys (including Ian Ackley),[28] and received a nine-year jail sentence (a further 22 offences were left on file because the Crown Prosecution Service decided it was better not to put young boys through the trauma of a trial).[24] In May 2015, Bennell (then calling himself 'Richard Jones' and living in Milton Keynes) received a further sentence of two years after pleading guilty to sexually abusing David Lean[17][18] at a camp in Macclesfield in 1980.[8][29][30]

At the inquest in 2012 into the death of Gary Speed, it was alleged that Speed and former Manchester United player Alan Davies had been "favourites" of Bennell, though there was no suggestion they had been abused by Bennell.[31] Both players later took their own lives.

2016 charges[edit]

Police were seen at Bennell's Milton Keynes address,[12] though Thames Valley Police said this was "in response to a safeguarding concern" and it was not investigating any offences.[32] Bennell was taken to hospital in Stevenage after being found unconscious in Knebworth Park on Friday 25 November; Thames Valley police said officers had been called to a “fear for welfare” incident. It was believed Bennell was staying at a hotel after leaving his Milton Keynes home as the scandal broke.[33] On 29 November 2016, 62-year-old Bennell was charged with eight counts of sexual assault against a boy aged under 14, alleged to have taken place between 1981 and 1985.[34][35] Bennell appeared by video link at South Cheshire magistrates court in Crewe on 14 December, and was remanded in custody to appear at Chester Crown Court on 11 January 2017.[36][37]

George Ormond[edit]

On 24 November 2016, The Guardian reported that an anonymous ex-footballer had contacted police to say he was a victim of George Ormond,[38] a former Newcastle United youth coach who was jailed in December 2002 for offences against young footballers in the area.[39] On 29 November 2016, The Guardian reported allegations by Derek Bell that he had been abused by George Ormond at the Montagu and North Fenham boys football club in the 1970s.[40][41] Bell later played for Newcastle United (1980-1984) and on 1 December accused Newcastle of a cover-up over the abuse allegations.[42] Bell claimed he alerted the club in 1998 but although Ormond's employment ended, his conduct was not investigated or reported to the police until 2001.[42] The Guardian also reported allegations about Ormond from David Eatock, who signed for Newcastle as an 18-year-old in 1995.[43]

Ormond's background[edit]

Ormond was described by a judge in 2002 as a "predatory abuser" after he was convicted of 12 indecent assaults and one attempted indecent assault on seven boys which had taken place between 1975 and 1999.[39]

Eddie Heath[edit]

On 29 November 2016, Chelsea announced it was investigating allegations of historical sexual abuse in the 1970s, including a secret payment to a former player who had accused the club’s ex-chief scout Eddie Heath of child sexual abuse.[44][45][46][47][48] On 2 December, the former player was named as Gary Johnson, who said he was paid £50,000 not to go public with allegations that he was sexually abused by Heath;[49] the following day, Chelsea apologised "profusely" to Johnson,[50] who later demanded further financial compensation from the club.[51] Also on 3 December, The Independent reported a Chelsea youth player's allegation that Dario Gradi, then Chelsea's assistant manager, visited the player's family's home to "smooth over" a complaint of sexual assault against Heath in 1974;[52] Gradi was among the first to be targeted by the FA's enquiry,[53] and, in connection with these allegations, on 11 December 2016, the FA announced that it had suspended Gradi[54][55] (Gradi subsequently said he had been notified by the FA of his interim suspension from football on 25 November, and reiterated "that I will do everything within my power to assist all investigatory authorities").[56][57] Former Chelsea youth goalkeeper Derek Richardson became the third player to allege abuse by Heath.[58] On 4 December, Heath was the subject of allegations of early 1980s abuse made by former youth player Russell Davy, at another London club; Charlton Athletic.[59]

Heath's background[edit]

Now deceased, Heath was employed at Leyton Orient (former goalkeeper Peter Chapman described him as "the dark eminence of Orient's youth outfit")[60] in the 1950s and 1960s before joining Chelsea.[47] In 1979, he contested his dismissal from Chelsea by then manager Geoff Hurst at an industrial tribunal.[47]

Bob Higgins[edit]

At Southampton, former trainees Dean Radford, Jamie Webb and, later, Billy Seymour told the BBC about incidents they said happened when they were in their teens.[61][62] By 4 December, six players had alleged abuse by an ex-Southampton employee,[63] and various media named him as Bob Higgins, until recently a first team coach (said not to be involved with youth players) at non-league side Fleet Town.[64][65][66]

Higgins' background[edit]

Bob Higgins was dismissed by Southampton in 1989 after several allegations were made against him,[64] and after he set up the "Bob Higgins Soccer Academy", the Football League wrote to all clubs in April 1989 warning them against any involvement with it.[67] He then joined the Malta Football Association.[68]

In 1991 he was charged with six counts of indecent assault against young boys he had been coaching; at the trial at Southampton Crown Court, he was acquitted on the direction of the judge[65] when the prosecution offered no evidence.[64][66] Higgins was suspended by the Malta FA between 1990 and 1992 when the original allegations were made, reinstated on a year's probation after being cleared, and then left in 1994.[68] While working in Malta, Higgins was said to have 'showered naked' with young players; one youth said it was common for Higgins to drive him in his car and touch him around his neck and his legs.[69]

Higgins then worked as a youth coach at Peterborough United from May 1995 to April 1996,[67][70] and was investigated as part of the 1997 Channel 4 Dispatches investigation, and denied allegations of abuse, claiming he was a faith healer and born again Christian;[67] a former youth player alleged Higgins provided "soapy massages".[71] In 1997, letters were sent to clubs and youth groups warning them that Higgins posed a risk to children.[65][66] Higgins was then appointed manager of non-league Bashley, until he was sacked in 2001.[66] The BBC reported that Higgins then worked at Winchester City for a few months; "At a meeting with Hampshire County Council and the local FA, Winchester representatives were shown the TV documentary that had aired a few years earlier and it was made clear it was inappropriate for Mr Higgins to stay at the club."[72]

Hugh Stevenson[edit]

On 5 December 2016, allegations spread to Scotland when a former youth football coach and assistant referee, Hugh Stevenson (who died in 2004), was accused by Peter Haynes of child sex offences over a three to four-year period said to have begun on the day of the 1979 Scottish Cup Final between Rangers and Hibernian at Hampden Park.[73] Ferguson was assistant referee in at least four international matches, including the England v Wales home international at Wembley in 1977, and was a club official at Eastercraigs Boys Club between the late 1970s and mid 1980s, before being asked to leave after attempting inappropriate contact with a boy at another club. He then moved to the Glasgow-based Chelsea Boys Club, which had an affiliation to the London club, and later was involved with the Paisley-based Ferguslie United[73] and Cowdenbeath.[74] Police Scotland confirmed that a then 55-year-old man had been investigated by Strathclyde Police in 1993 and 1996, with reports submitted to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service each time.[73]

Also on 5 December 2016, Mitch Agnew, part of Ferguslie United's coaching set-up in the 1990s and a senior figure in the Scottish Youth Football Association, was suspended pending an investigation.[74]

Jim McCafferty[edit]

In Belfast, Northern Ireland on 7 December 2016, former Celtic youth coach Jim McCafferty was charged with offences relating to sexual activity with a child, allegedly committed in Northern Ireland.[75]

McCafferty's background[edit]

Cafferty, former kitman for Celtic, Hibernian and Falkirk, admitted abusing teenagers in the 1980s and 1990s while coaching boys’ and junior teams in West Lothian, Scotland, and at Celtic between 1990 and 1996.[76]

Other alleged abusers[edit]

By 9 December 2016, allegations of abuse were reported from grassroots to professional club levels, involving, according to the National Police Chiefs' Council, 83 potential suspects and 98 clubs.[77] Alleged abusers included:

  • Frank Roper (now dead), who ran a Stockport-based Nova feeder club,[11] who was also associated with Blackpool[78] and was the subject of complaints by Paul Stewart and Jason Dunford, plus groping allegations by former Leeds United player Jamie Forrester.[79]
  • Gordon Neely (who died in 2014) was a youth coach at Rangers in the 1980s and, after abuse allegations were made, had been "dismissed immediately," the Glasgow club said.[80] Neely was also accused by former youth player Colin Anderson of abuse at Edinburgh youth club Hutchison Vale.[81]
  • Former Hampshire FA chief Ray Barnes, involved in inquiries into Bob Higgins's conduct, was later convicted of indecently assaulting three boys.[72]
  • David King, convicted in 1997 of sexual offences against a 10-year-old pupil at the school where he was the headteacher, was an associate of George Ormond at Newcastle's Montagu and North Fenham boys football club.[41]
  • Chris Gieler (who died in 2004), youth development manager and chief scout during a 32-year career at Queens Park Rangers, was also named in historical child abuse allegations.[62]
  • John Hart (died in 1995), physiotherapist at Partick Thistle, was dismissed in 1992 over sex abuse allegations.[82] Motherwell also launched an investigation into alleged historical sexual abuse as Hart had also worked at the Fir Park club.[83]
  • Jim Torbett, former Celtic Boys Club manager, was found guilty in 1996 of shameless and indecent conduct with three juvenile players between October 1967 and March 1974,[84] and given a prison sentence of 30 months.[85]

Response and investigations[edit]

Football bodies[edit]

Football Association[edit]

On 21 November, the Football Association said it was setting up a helpline;[4] this was established with the NSPCC and opened on 24 November,[86] reportedly receiving over 50 calls within the first two hours,[14] over 100 by 27 November,[87] and 860 ("more than three times as many referrals as in the first three days of the Jimmy Savile scandal") by 1 December[88] with 350 individuals alleging abuse.[89] After three weeks, the call total had reached 1700.[90] The FA and NSPCC also collaborated to produce a film about how to keep children safe in the sport, featuring the captains of England's men's, women's and cerebral palsy football teams (Wayne Rooney, Steph Houghton and Jack Rutter).[91]

After the Hamilton Smith interview suggesting the FA failed to thoroughly investigate Crewe's system, on 27 November, the FA announced it was to set up an internal review, led by independent counsel Kate Gallafent QC, into what Crewe and Manchester City knew about Barry Bennell and allegations of child sexual abuse in football, and investigate what information it was aware of at the time of the alleged offences.[92]

The FA was criticised by Conservative MP Damian Collins, chair of the House of Commons' Culture, Media and Sport Committee, for being too slow in reacting and not instigating a wider review.[93] Former sport minister Gerry Sutcliffe talked of previous concern about how the FA dealt with governance of the sport and with youth development (in the 1990s, the FA was said to have reacted "dismissively" to worries about sexual abuse in the game, and too slow to implement criminal record checks;[94] in 2003, the FA had scrapped a project meant to ensure children were being protected from sexual abuse).[95] Sutcliffe said an independent body, such as the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, should look at the issue rather than the FA investigating itself: "What I've seen in football over the years is that they're very narrow, very insular, and may not do a proper job even though with the right intentions."[63]

On 6 December 2016, the FA announced that, due to "the increased scope of the review since it was announced"[96] and Gallafent's other professional commitments, the review would be conducted by Clive Sheldon QC.[72] On the same day, it was announced that former Chelsea assistant manager Dario Gradi would be among the first to be targeted by the FA's enquiry over the "smoothing over" allegation,[53] and five days later the FA announced Gradi had been suspended.[54][55][57]

Other bodies[edit]

The Professional Footballers' Association said on 24 November 2016 that the number of players who had contacted it with similar stories had reached double figures,[86] later (27 November) revising this to "more than 20"[15] and adding Blackpool and Leeds United to the list of clubs implicated.[97]

On 7 December 2016, Premier League boss Richard Scudamore wrote to the parents of more than 3,000 players in the league's youth system to reassure them regarding child protection.[77]

After the Hugh Stevenson allegations emerged, Scottish Football Association chief executive Stewart Regan apologised "deeply" to Peter Haynes.[73] Former SFA chief executive Gordon Smith,[98] civil rights lawyer Raju Bhatt[77] and Deputy First Minister John Swinney[99] all called for an independent inquiry after Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon rejected calls for an existing inquiry to be widened.[100] On 13 December 2016, the SFA said it would set up an "independent review" of child abuse allegations in football;[101] on the same date, of 15,385 coaches registered with the Scottish Youth Football Association, 2,500 had not had Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) clearance.[102]

In Manchester on 5 December 2016, abuse victims Andy Woodward, Steve Walters, Chris Unsworth, Matthew Monaghan and Mark Williams launched a support organisation, the Offside Trust, to support player victims of abuse and their families.[63][80] At the launch, the Trust's lawyer Ed Smethurst talked of alleged abusers still working "in the senior echelons" of football, of "grave misgivings about the FA's independent inquiry", and of new claims that clubs had paid 'hush money'.[103]

Football clubs[edit]

Dario Gradi's 24 November statement mentioned Crewe Alexandra had established an internal review,[7] and the club subsequently announced it would be holding an independent review into how they dealt with historical child sex abuse allegations: "an independent review, to be conducted via the appointment of external legal counsel, is the correct way forward".[15][104] Manchester City said it had opened an investigation regarding Bennell's association with the club in the 1980s.[14] Stoke said they were ready to launch an investigation into any allegation raised.[23] On 25 November, Northumbria Police said their inquiries were "ongoing", while Newcastle United said it would cooperate with the police and relevant authorities.[105] On 29 November, Chelsea announced it had appointed a law firm to carry out an investigation connected to allegations of historical sexual abuse in the 1970s.[45] By 3 December 2016, 55 professional and non-league clubs had been cited by people claiming they were abused.[106] On 9 December 2016, the National Police Chiefs' Council said 83 potential suspects and 98 clubs were now involved in the inquiry into child abuse.[77]

Police[edit]

Initially, Cheshire police were reported to be liaising with Greater Manchester Police over the allegations,[105] with the Manchester force later confirming it was launching an investigation and co-operating with Operation Hydrant, the national co-ordination hub for historical child abuse investigations concerning persons of public prominence.[33] On 26 November Hampshire Police said it was looking into claims of "non-recent child abuse within the football community", while the Metropolitan Police also opened investigations.[107] By 1 December, Staffordshire Police, Police Scotland,[44] Essex Police and Norfolk Police[48][108] were reported to be among 17 forces examining claims of historical sex abuse in football.[89] On 6 December 2016, the Police Service of Northern Ireland became the 21st UK police force to confirm it was investigating claims.[62] On 13 December 2016, the Metropolitan Police said it was investigating 106 allegations of historical sexual abuse at 32 London football clubs (including four in the Premier League, two in the Championship, three against clubs in Leagues One and Two and 21 other clubs including non-league or non-professional or amateur teams).[109]

See also[edit]

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