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Barry Bennell convicted of further indecent assault offences

Barry Bennell, who coached at Manchester City and Crewe Alexandra among others, is convicted of more indecent assault charges and will be sentenced on Monday.

Former football coach Barry Bennell has been found guilty of all remaining charges put against him, including one for rape.

The 64-year-old appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday to respond to three more charges of sexual abuse against young players, of which the jury found him guilty by a majority of 10-1 and one unanimously.

Bennell, who has now been convicted of 43 counts of child sex abuse against 11 victims, is to be sentenced next Monday.

Jackie Lamb, from the CPS, said: "Barry Bennell is a predatory paedophile who groomed and abused young boys who dreamed of a career in professional football.

"He claimed his accusers were making up stories about him following previous convictions and stories in the media but thanks to the evidence from his victims, the CPS and police were able to build a strong case to expose Bennell's denials as lies.

"Because of the scale of Bennell's offending, the prosecution faced a number of challenges, including selecting charges which would adequately reflect the scale and seriousness of what Bennell did.

"The indictment before the court properly reflected that offending and will allow the court to sentence appropriately. I would like to pay tribute to the victims who have come forward to give evidence against him and I hope this outcome gives them some sense of justice being done after so many years."

The latest case against Bennell, a former coach at Manchester City and Crewe Alexandra among others, related to allegations from between 1979 and 1990.

Further allegations made by 86 others will also be investigated by police.

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Daniel Lewis
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