Football Child Sexual Abuse - Barry Bennell

Football Child Sexual Abuse - Barry Bennell

Football Child Sexual Abuse Claims

In the shocking recent stories that have been discovered over child sexual abuse in UK football the conviction of Barry Bennell is shorely the beginning of of more convictions to come over the next few months or years.

We have provided extensive and thorough background on our website for further reading: Football and Child Sexual Abuse.

This article is written with the kind permission Hutcheon Law Solicitors.

Barry Bennell

The allegations centered around a former Football Coach Barry Bennell who worked for the following clubs:

• Crewe Alexander Football Club
• Manchester City Football Club
• Stoke Football Club

It has been reported in the National Press the he has also worked for other junior Clubs in the North and Midlands. Since that time, it is reported that there are over 83 potential suspects into sexual abuse in football, historical in nature. The scale is alarming.

This year, Kit Carson- a well-known football coach who worked with Norwich, Peterborough and Cambridge- was charged with sexual offences against 11 boys between 1978 and 2009. This is just another element of an evolving story that involves hundreds of clubs and coaches and thousands of victims. Every two days, on average 5 victims have come forward. To put this scandal in scale, 285 coaches have now been accused of sexual abuse: the abuse scandal that rocked the Catholic Church in Boston and the rest of the United States implicated 249 priests. That scandal was of such significance it led to a feature film dedicated to its discovery.

The crown court at Liverpool sentenced Barry Bennell- one of Britain’s most prolific paedophiles- to 30 years in prison for hundreds of sexual offences against almost one hundred victims which amounted to an act of “sheer evil” according to Clement Goldstone, QC. Mr Gladstone made reference to the “trail of psychological devastation” left by Barry Bennell’s actions, and the testimony of his victims talks at great length about the depression, anxiety addiction and suicidal thoughts they experienced following their abuse. Individuals that experience sexual abuse are significantly more likely to self-harm or to possess suicidal thoughts than members of the general populace, and so victims of such abuse often refer to themselves as “survivors”.

Unprecedented Footballers Who Have Been Abused

For all connected with football the shock of these allegations cannot be underestimated. What is the scale of the sexual abuse in football and what can be done? We explain further on our website with important links to a number of authoritative bodies who can advise and support.

Further reading please click on the link below:

Football and Sexual Abuse Claims

Article brought to you by R James Hutcheon Solicitors speicalist in personal injury and psychological trauma.