Warrington Rylands football club sacks manager after it is revealed he is a convicted rapist

A football club has sacked its manager after it was revealed he is a convicted rapist.

Samuel Wilson had his contract terminated after just three days in charge of Warrington Rylands FC, after it emerged he had been jailed for five years.

Wilson was convicted of raping a woman he had never met or knew the name of, in a flat in 2015 after she had consensual sex with his friend.

He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Wilson joined Rylands in 2021 as a player and was appointed as joint interim manager in February after previous manager Michael Clegg left to join Macclesfield.

After guiding the Northern Premier League club to promotion play-offs Wilson was then made permanent manager on a two-year contract on Saturday 13 April.

But, just three days later, the club announced it had terminated Wilson's contract "by mutual consent".

Wilson was convicted aged 24 of the rape of a woman.

Manchester Crown Court heard Wilson, then aged 21, attacked the woman after she went back with a friend of Wilson's to a rented Manchester city centre flat following a night out in May 2013. She had consensual sex with Wilson's friend.

Then Wilson, who had not even spoken to the woman, entered the room and then forced himself on her. She fled the apartment and immediately dialled for police.

Wilson was sentenced to five years in prison in September 2015. The judge at Manchester Crown Court ordered Wilson to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for life.

At the time, Detective Constable Sophie Swift, from GMP’s Serious Sexual Offences Unit, praised the young woman for her courageous testimony.

She said: “Wilson walked into that room and saw his friend having consensual sex with the woman.

“Without her consent, he then took advantage of the situation and raped her. I would like to applaud the bravery of the woman, who courageously relived her ordeal by giving evidence in court, which in itself can be very upsetting, and facing down her attacker.

"The jury did not believe Wilson’s assertion the sex was consensual and found him guilty of rape.

"He will now serve five years in prison, which I hope sends out a message to others that if you do take advantage of a woman without her consent it is rape, and the police, Crown Prosecution Service and the courts will prosecute you.”