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Football coach Barry Bennell had three boys in bed at once, trial told Football coach Barry Bennell had three boys in bed at once, trial told
(about 3 hours later)
A former junior footballer from Manchester City’s youth system cried as he told police he was sexually abused around 100 times by Barry Bennell, and often had to stay four in a bed with the man he believed would help him have a professional career. A former junior footballer from Manchester City’s youth system cried as he told police he was sexually abused about 100 times by Barry Bennell, and often had to stay four-in-a bed with the man he believed would help him have a professional career.
In police interviews shown to Bennell’s trial at Liverpool crown court on Wednesday, the complainant said he used to stay with the former coach at least once a week, and sometimes up to four times a week during school holidays. He recalled how Bennell had up to three boys sharing a bed with him, as well as two bunk beds in the same room to accommodate others. In police interviews shown to a jury at Liverpool crown court, the alleged victim said he used to stay with Bennell up to four times a week. He recalled how the coach sometimes had three boys sharing a bed with him, as well as having two bunk beds in the same room to accommodate others.
Now in his 40s, the man said there was an “untold rule” among the boys not to say anything because they were scared of losing their chance to play for City. He said it still sent “spills down my spine” when he heard the music that Bennell played on a ghetto-blaster to disguise the abuse: Billy Ocean, and the Steve Miller Band but, mostly, the Incantation song Cacharpaya. Now in his 40s, the man said there was an “untold rule” among the boys not to say anything because they were scared of losing their chance to play for City. He said it still sent “chills down my spine” when he heard the music that Bennell played on a ghetto-blaster to disguise the abuse: Billy Ocean, and the Steve Miller Band but, mostly, the Incantation song Cacharpaya.
“He was very clever – it was always lights off, music blaring out,” he told the police. “I learned how to shut down. When it happened I could literally shut down my emotions. All I know is every time I was abused, part of me closed down. When the tears came out my face, I shut my body down. He’d abuse me and I’d have tears rolling down my cheeks. He didn’t give a shit. That hurt. It didn’t stop him.”“He was very clever – it was always lights off, music blaring out,” he told the police. “I learned how to shut down. When it happened I could literally shut down my emotions. All I know is every time I was abused, part of me closed down. When the tears came out my face, I shut my body down. He’d abuse me and I’d have tears rolling down my cheeks. He didn’t give a shit. That hurt. It didn’t stop him.”
Bennell has admitted seven charges of sexually abusing three boys, aged 11 to 14, but denies 48 other counts relating to 11 boys between 1979 and 1991, including one as young as nine. He has already served prison sentences in England and the US for child sex offences in football but claims he is the victim of a malicious campaign “motivated by attention-seeking or the prospect of compensation”. Bennell has admitted seven charges of sexually abusing three boys, aged 11 to 14, but denies 48 other counts relating to 11 boys from 1979 to 1991, including one as young as nine. He has already served prison sentences in England and the United States for abusing children but claims he is the victim of a malicious campaign. The jury was told he had described this complainant as “one who got away with it”.
Speaking to the police, the first of the alleged victims to give evidence said he had come forward after seeing Andy Woodward on television talking about his abuse by Bennell. Bennell told the police he thought the boy “might be one” who would eventually give in to his grooming but that the boy had shown no interest. That process, Bennell added, usually involved “a bit of toy-fighting, a few treats here and there – just to see the reaction” but he said his priority at the time was another boy, whose name cannot be reported, who he regarded as “my favourite”.
His own story went back to playing for a junior team and word getting around that Bennell, working as a coach and scout for City, was looking for players good enough to play for the youth squad. The first of Bennell’s alleged victims to give evidence told police he came forward after seeing Andy Woodward on television talking about his abuse by Bennell.
The unnamed man was playing for a junior team when he heard that Bennell, working as a coach and scout for City, was looking for players good enough to play for the youth squad.
“He always used to flash his eyes at you, make you feel like you stood out, like you were different, like you were special,” the man said. “At 11 or 12, every boy wanted to be in football, everyone wanted to please him. Everyone wanted to be the first to carry the balls to his car, everything like that.”“He always used to flash his eyes at you, make you feel like you stood out, like you were different, like you were special,” the man said. “At 11 or 12, every boy wanted to be in football, everyone wanted to please him. Everyone wanted to be the first to carry the balls to his car, everything like that.”
The abuse, he said, mostly happened on overnight stays at Bennell’s house above the video shop he ran in Furness Vale, and it was “tens of tens, if not into 100” times. The abuse, he said, mostly happened on overnight stays at Bennell’s house above a video shop. Bennell, described by the prosecution as a “devious paedophile”, also used the boys to help him copy pirate tapes of pornographic films, the jury was told. Bennell, he said, also abused him during a trip to Butlins in Pwllheli, north Wales, by City’s “Junior Blues” squad. He said Bennell used to perform bare-chested martial-arts demonstrations with nunchucks, as if to say “look what I can do”. The coach, then in his late 20s, was “quite a well-built guy – you wouldn’t mess with him”.
He said he could feel vibrations in the bed when Bennell was abusing other boys and he cried as he talked about how it made him feel more than 30 years later. On other occasions the alleged victim said he could feel vibrations in bed as Bennell abused other boys next to him. “Nobody said anything. It was almost like an untold rule – ‘shut up, don’t spoil our chances, I want to make it, I want to be a footballer, I want to play for City’. You knew but you didn’t say anything. He had a big power-hold over us, which was quite horrific.”
“I remember crying and feeling really horrible and bad. Nobody said anything. It was almost like an untold rule: ‘shut up, don’t spoil our chances, I want to make it, I want to be a footballer, I want to play for City’. You knew, but you didn’t say anything. He had a big power-hold over us with this, which was pretty horrific. At times, he added, other boys would give him “the look” to signal they knew what was going on but would not be saying anything. “It was almost like the mason’s funny handshake. You knew the look. They knew you had been abused. You knew they knew. It was a very distinct look but you learned to live with it.”
“When I look back I think: ‘How the hell did nobody say anything?’ I do feel really guilty because then all these people after wouldn’t have had it done. But you have to remember I was only a kid. My biggest regret is not saying sooner. I wanted to say something before I died, if I had the courage to.” The abuse, it is alleged, continued until he hit puberty. The alleged victim said he still “cannot stand” the smell of Kouros aftershave because it reminds him of Bennell. Under cross-examination, he denied that his motives for coming forward were financial.
On one occasion he said Bennell took City’s “junior blues” to Butlin’s in Pwllheli and abused him in one of the chalets. The trial, which continues, is expected to last around eight weeks.
Now 64, Bennell is appearing at the court via video link because of poor health, but the jury heard the complainant telling police how, back then, he was “quite a well-built guy – you wouldn’t mess with him”.
The abuse of this boy allegedly continued until he hit puberty, at which point Bennell moved on to younger boys.
The complainant recalled being “in complete meltdown” after seeing Woodward on television and said he could not stand the smell of Kouros aftershave because it reminded him of Bennell.
The trial is in its second day and expected to last around eight weeks.