Barry Bennell may have abused more than 100 young footballers

Barry Bennell Credit: PA

Eighty-six more alleged victims of serial paedophile Barry Bennell have come forward to report abuse by him.

The allegations were being investigated by police as the former football coach was convicted of abusing more young footballers after grooming them with claims that he could fulfil their dreams of a career in the sport.

The 64-year-old, previously jailed three times for similar offences and described as a "a child molester on an industrial scale", has been found guilty at Liverpool Crown Court of 43 counts of child sexual abuse against 11 victims.

It is now believed that Bennell's victims could number more than 100.

The lawyer representing three of Barry Bennell's alleged victims, Christopher Hurlston, told ITV News that today represented "a very significant milestone" for his clients and other survivors who gave evidence during the trial.

He added that there "will be more people coming forward now that they know they will be believed and listened to".

  • Video: Christopher Hurlston - the lawyer representing three of Barry Bennell's alleged victims.

Detective Inspector Sarah Oliver said allegations against Bennell span a period of 20 years and that police investigations reveal a pattern of behaviour which saw him groom not only his victims but also their families.

She said: "He clearly enticed families into this belief that there was this lucrative football career ahead and therefore they would take their children to his house to stay there overnight before a match. They would get rewarded with kit and with opportunities that they wouldn't have got."

When the final court verdicts were read out on Thursday, there were cheers in court and some people were in tears while Bennell, who appeared via videolink, shook his head.

Bennell, who served time in jail for child sexual abuse in the 1990s, had already been convicted of abusing 15 boys in the UK and one boy in America.

He was on trial for abusing 11 boys between 1979 and 1990 aged between eight and 15 at the time.

During the trial, victims who had been coached by Bennell as boys told how he had a "power hold" over them as they dreamed of becoming professional footballers and he was said to have been treated like "God" at Manchester City's Maine Road ground.

The court heard he abused the boys at his homes, where he had arcade games and exotic pets including a puma and a monkey, but also on trips away and in his car while on the way to and from training.

One victim, who he had admitted abusing in 1998, said he knew of four men who had been coached by Bennell,including former Wales manager Gary Speed, who had gone on to take their own lives. The jury was told there was no evidence to link the deaths to Bennell.

The court heard transcripts of police interviews in which he admitted having a "grooming process" and being attracted to teenage boys, although he denied the new allegations and said his accusers were "jumping on the bandwagon" following publicity.

Crewe said they were unaware of the abuse. Credit: PA

Crewe Alexandra who previously employed Bennell said they were unaware of their former coach abusing any players.

Crewe released a statement which said: "The Club would therefore like to reiterate that it was not aware of any sexual abuse by Mr Bennell, nor did it receive any complaint about sexual abuse by him, either before or during his employment with the Club. Mr Bennell was employed by the Club for two periods between January 1985 and January 1992. On both occasions, he left for football-related reasons. The first the Club became aware of any offences committed by Mr Bennell was when he was arrested in the United States in 1994. The Club co-operated fully with the police investigation in relation to the prosecution of Mr Bennell in 1997/98. The Club also cooperated fully in the production of the Dispatches programme that was broadcast around that time.

"Further, the police have recently undertaken a thorough investigation to determine what knowledge Crewe Alexandra may have had of Mr Bennell’s offending whilst he was employed as a coach, which involved interviewing a significant number of individuals, including a former director of the Club, Hamilton Smith. As a result of their investigations, the police found no evidence to corroborate that the Club was aware of Mr Bennell’s offending."

Manchester City launched an investigation when the allegations against Bennell came to light and have found evidence of historical sex abuse at the club.

City said: "Whilst Manchester City FC is restricted as to what it can make public at present, the Club can confirm that to date, the Review Team has identified serious allegations of child sex abuse in respect of two identifiable individuals with potential historic connections to Manchester City. One of these individuals is Barry Bennell.

"The second identified individual – John Broome - is deceased and is not believed to be linked to Bennell. Investigations into Mr Broome and his alleged offences continue.

"In addition to these individuals, the team continues to exhaustively examine a number of reports of historic anomalous behaviours, no matter the level of gravity and strength of potential connection to Manchester City, over a period spanning more than 50 years."

Bennell declined to give evidence in his own defence.

The judge said he will be sentenced on Monday.