UK Edition
Football coach Barry Bennell 'predatory paedophile with unfettered access to boys'
A former youth football coach and talent scout was a "predatory and determined" paedophile whose job gave him unfettered access to boys, a court has heard.
Barry Bennell allegedly abused one victim more than 100 times and spent decades assaulting boys in changing rooms, in his car and during sleepovers at his home.
The 63-year-old former Crewe Alexandra coach appeared at Liverpool Crown Court via video-link on Tuesday, accused of 48 counts of child sexual abuse.
The jury heard some of the abuse took place at the club’s ground, or when it was on tour, while many of the incidents also took place at his home addresses.
Bennell, who has since changed his name to Richard Jones, is charged with offences including indecent assault, buggery and attempted buggery on 11 boys aged between eight and 14.
Nicholas Johnson QC, prosecuting, told the court Bennell worked as a youth football coach in Cheshire, Manchester and Derbyshire in the late 1970s and into the 1990s.
Mr Johnson said: "As such, he had pretty much unfettered access to large numbers of young lads who dreamt of a life in professional football.
"Although it seems that Mr Jones, or Mr Bennell, was a skilled and relatively successful coach, we allege that he had a much darker side.
"He was also, we say, a predatory and determined paedophile: his particular predilection was pre-pubescent boys".
Mr Johnson said some of the abuse took place at the ground of Crewe Alexandra and when the football club was on tour, while many of the incidents also took place at his home addresses.
At the start of a trial expected to last up to eight weeks, the jury was told Bennell would appearing via video-link because illness means he needs to be fed through a tube.
Bennell pleaded guilty to seven counts of indecent assault ahead of his trail.
Summarising the complaints, Mr Johnson told the jury one alleged victim had been abused by Bennell on more than 100 occasions after meeting him when he was a scout for Manchester City.
The alleged victim and other boys would stay at Bennell's house, which he said at first seemed an "attractive proposition" for the youngsters.
He said: "Not only was there the promise of high quality football, but they were given lots of sports kit and allowed to eat takeaway food."
Bennell equipped his home with arcade machines, a pool table and televisions to entice boys to stay the night.
The complainant alleged Bennell would turn the lights off once the boys were in bed and would play music to mask the sound of the abuse, the court heard.
Bennell told police he had been attracted to 13-year-old boys because they were "pedigree footballers who were athletic and good looking".
The court heard he admitted in interview he would lose interest in boys as they reached puberty.
Mr Johnson told jurors they would have to decide whether they were listening to a group of men who, as Bennell alleges, had "jumped on the bandwagon" and maliciously made up stories, or if they agreed with the Crown's case that a devious paedophile was committing serious sexual offences on a large scale and over a long period of time against "very vulnerable lads".
Mr Johnson added: "In those circumstances we will suggest in due course that it is no surprise either that the extent of his offending has taken so long to emerge or that there is repetition in the way, we allege, he committed his offences."
The trial continues.