Saturday, 20 January 2018

Ex-Crewe coach Barry Bennell sexual abuse trial: 'He had this power over you'

Alleged victim says Dario Gradi arranged for him to stay at Bennell’s house and describes arguments for ‘safer’ beds

The former football coach Barry Bennell had an arrangement with Crewe Alexandra for up to 12 youth-team players to stay at his house and abused so many of the boys in his care that they had arguments about getting the beds regarded as “a bit safer”, a jury was told.

On the eighth day of Bennell’s trial at Liverpool crown court, where the former Crewe Alexandra youth team coach is facing 48 charges relating to 11 boys from 1979 to 1990, one of his alleged victims said Dario Gradi, the club’s manager, had arranged for him to stay with the man who has been described by the prosecution as a “devious paedophile”.

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from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2Be0Hwb