Barry Bennell Found Guilty Of Multiple Child Sexual Abuse Charges

Paedophile convicted of 36 charges of assault against boys as young as eight.

Convicted paedophile Barry Bennell has been found guilty of multiple child sexual abuse in the 1980s.

The ex-football coach was charged with 55 offences, including 42 counts of indecent assault.

At his latest trial at Liverpool Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to seven child sex offences on January 8, but a jury was sworn in for his trial on the outstanding 48 charges.

Former football coach Barry Bennell.
Former football coach Barry Bennell.
PA Wire/PA Images

Bennell, 64, was convicted of 36 charges including indecent assault and serious sexual assaults against boys aged eight to 15.

The jury of five men and six women was sent out on Thursday and was unable to reach decisions on seven counts.

During the trial prosecutors said Bennell was a “predatory and determined paedophile” who molested young boys on an “industrial scale”.

Complainants - former youth footballers coached by the defendant - and their family members were in tears in the public gallery as the jury foreman began to return the verdicts in a hushed courtroom.

Former Crewe Alexandra coach and Manchester City scout Bennell appeared via videolink and could be seen speaking as the verdicts began to be read out.

The Recorder of Liverpool, Judge Clement Goldstone QC, told the jury he would accept verdicts which 10 or more of them were agreed on in relation to the remaining seven counts.

He said: “We will, of course, invite you to endeavour to reach unanimous verdicts in relation to the remaining counts, but if you are unable to do so (we will accept) verdicts in which respect of 10 of you agree.”

The jury, which has been deliberating for more than 19 hours since last Thursday, will resume their deliberations at 10.15am on Wednesday.

During the trial, the court has heard Bennell compared to the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as he invited boys to his house where he had arcade games, a pool table, videos and exotic pets including a puma and a monkey.

In his closing speech, Nicholas Johnson QC, prosecuting, said: “We suggest Mr Bennell is a child molester on an industrial scale and that’s why he went to these lengths to get so many lads round to his house.”

In transcripts of police interviews which were read in court, Bennell, who has changed his name to Richard Jones, told the police about his grooming process and abuse of boys, but claimed the complainants in the case were “jumping on the bandwagon” following publicity.

He chose not to appear in the witness box and no evidence was called by the defence.

Eleanor Laws QC, defending, described Bennell as a “sitting target” and asked jurors to put their “understandable potential revulsion” aside when considering verdicts.

One of Bennell’s victims, who he had pleaded guilty to abusing in 1998, previously told the jury he knew of four men who had been coached by Bennell, including former Wales manager Gary Speed, who had gone on to take their own lives.

But the jury was later told there was no evidence to link their deaths to Bennell.

Bennell has served three previous jail terms, totalling 15 years, for child sex offences against 17 young boys.

On Tuesday, Bennell was convicted of 27 counts of indecent assault, seven counts of buggery and two counts of attempted buggery.

Before the trial started last month, Bennell pleaded guilty to seven counts of indecent assault involving three boys, two of whom were part of the trial.

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