The judge decribed Bennell as "the devil incarnate" for his abuse of young footballers.TWITTER
Pedophile football coach BARRY BENNELL was jailed for 30 years after being confronted by "some of his many victims" in court, according to Victoria Ward of the London TELEGRAPH. The 64-year-old, who abused young boys on an "industrial scale," was described as "the devil incarnate" by Recorder of Liverpool CLEMENT GOLDSTONE QC. The judge said, "Your behavior towards these boys in grooming and seducing them before subjecting them to, in some cases, the most serious, degrading and humiliating abuse was sheer evil." During the proceedings, "several" of Bennell's victims read personal impact statements detailing how the "horrific abuse" they suffered at his hands as children "destroyed their lives." Bennell was convicted of abusing 12 young footballers (TELEGRAPH, 2/19). In London, Daniel Taylor reported victims cried, "Yes," while Bennell -- "facing his victims for the first time having appeared via video link during his five-week trail" -- looked at the floor and nodded as the sentence was read. Some members of the public "began to applaud as he was sent down, but they were stopped by the judge." Speaking outside court, victim ANDY WOODWARD, whose decision to go public "led to the latest trial," said that he had "mixed emotions." He said, "No sentence is long enough for that man and right to the death he didn't show any remorse or say sorry to anyone." The catalog of sexual abuse revealed during his trial prompted another 86 people to make complaints against the former Man City and Crewe Alexandra youth team coach. The judge said that it would be a "matter for the police and Crown Prosecution Service to decide whether another trial was in the public interest," noting that Bennell "may well die in prison" (GUARDIAN, 2/19).
