Former British football coach and convicted pedophile Barry Bennell is charged with abusing his students. As the football team’s coach, he had easy access to kids. Between 1979 and 1990, he served as the coach of the UK clubs’ football teams. Before starting to instruct young children, he played for Chelsea as Richard Jones. Bennell worked for Crewe Alexandra Football Club and was closely associated with Stoke City and Manchester City. Bennell was accused of eight counts of sexual abuse on a boy under 14 in 2016 after abusing boys on his football teams for years. He entered a not-guilty plea to the accusations. However, on March 7, 2017, new allegations of eight counts of non-recent child sex abuse of two boys were brought against him. He was finally given a 31-year prison term in February 2018 for his horrific actions.
Career of Barry Bennell
Barry Bennell played for Chelsea as a young player and was connected to numerous organizations. He was primarily associated with Crewe Alexandra, a football team from a tiny town. This club has a reputation for producing brilliant young men.
In the 1980s, Bennell began his career as a football coach. He also worked with Manchester City and a number of youth teams, including those from Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Derbyshire, and Staffordshire.
He was regarded as the Pied Piper who would turn young football players into stars. The Pied Piper, however, changed into a predator and assaulted his own pupils.
Later Years of Barry Bennell
Barry Bennell was regarded as the top youth coach in the nation. He undoubtedly exploited his position and repeatedly committed some awful crimes.
When the authorities in Jacksonville, Florida initially accused him of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old British child while on vacation, that is when his crime was discovered. Bennell also used to organize “soccer camps” and take his students on excursions. According to a report in the Birmingham Mail, the youngster told his parents about the abuse after returning from his trip, which led to Bennell’s arrest. He received a four-year prison term in the US. This arrest made Bennell’s crimes clear.
Years later, on November 16, 2016, former Crewe defender Andy Woodward discussed the abuse he had endured from Bennell in an interview with The Guardian. Woodward revealed Bennell and his motivations for tutoring young boys in a lengthy conversation. During Bennell’s tenure as Crewe’s football coach, Woodward claimed that Bennell had raped him more than a hundred times. Following Woodward’s interview, the police received allegations of more than six abuse victims in the days that followed.
Crewe was criticized by Woodward for failing to acknowledge the victims and provide an apology. The manager of Crewe during the 1980s, Dario Gradi, said on November 24 that he was unaware of Bennell’s plans and actions up until the time of his arrest.
By March 2017, Bennell had already been accused of 21 further offenses, including 18 instances of indecent assault, one attempted sexual assault, and two serious sexual assaults against four boys between the ages of 14 and 16. He was placed back in detention in July 2017 in preparation for his January 2018 trial.
After his trial, Bennell was found guilty of 50 counts of child sexual assault against 12 boys on February 19, 2018. He was sentenced to 31 years in prison.
Individual Life of Barry Bennell
Alec and Marjorie Bennell welcomed Barry into the world in 1954 in Manchester, England.
Estimated net worth
As of 2022, Barry Bennell has a $3 million net worth. This sum of money is the result of his prosperous football coaching profession.