Former cricket coach Michael Strange given sixth prison sentence for abuse of boys

A former junior county cricket coach has been jailed for a further six years after two more victims came forward to say they were sexually abused.

Michael Strange, 64, had been convicted on five previous occasions for abusing young cricketers between the 1980s and the 2000s and was in jail when more victims came forward.

The former Durham coach was sentenced via a videolink at Newcastle Crown Court on Tuesday (17 September) after he admitted three counts of indecent assault on one teenage boy in the 1980s and a single similar offence against a youth in the 1990s.

Judge Christopher Prince said both victim impact statements from the men were “profoundly moving” and detailed how their ordeals had greatly affected their personal and professional lives.

He jailed Strange, who had hoped to be released in time to again see his mother, who is in her 90s, for a further six years.

Strange coached the victim he assaulted three times at a cricket club on Tyneside and invited him back to his home where he abused him on three separate occasions.

Rachel Glover, prosecuting, said: “He looked up to the defendant and regarded him as a father figure in cricket and gave him second-hand equipment.”

The victim gave up the sport and did not talk about the abuse he suffered until he read media reports about Strange’s previous offending.

Strange indecently assaulted his other victim in a changing room after the boy was accidentally struck by a ball in the groin during a coaching session, the court heard. The first victim was worried there were even more.

“My aim was to expose Michael Strange for the individual he is," he said in his statement, read by Miss Glover.

“I believe there are many more who are yet to speak out.

“I feel like the convictions (to date) have only scratched the surface of Michael Strange’s offending.”

Strange’s offending is the subject of an ongoing internally led review by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) which began in the summer of 2023.

The second victim, whom Strange had invited onto a coaching course after impressing for his club, said: “I went all out to impress Michael Strange but he took advantage of me for his own sexual gain.”

Judge Prince said these two men were the ninth and 10th known victims of Strange.

The judge observed that on each occasion Strange had been convicted, it had come about because victims had come forward rather than via a confession.

He said: “It has to be said, there is no real expression of remorse that I can see. I’m quite sure that you have regret for the ongoing sequence of complaints made against you.

“You have not got such remorse that it has taken you to a point in your life where, at any earlier stage, you have felt you would confess what you have done to persons of responsibility or to the police.”

Ian Hudson, defending, said the best mitigation was Strange’s guilty pleas.

After the sentencing, Claire Wright, senior crown prosecutor with CPS North East’s Rape and Serious Sexual Assault Unit, said: “Strange is a dangerous sexual predator who gave little thought for the hugely damaging impact of his actions during the ruthless pursuit for his own sexual gratification.”

Police have encouraged anyone who was a victim of Strange's crimes who is yet to come forward to do so as they continue to seek justice.

Detective Constable Lisa Herron, of Northumbria Police, said: “Michael Strange is a predatory paedophile who preyed on young boys throughout his cricket career where he was widely praised and respected.

“He robbed multiple young boys of their innocence and childhoods – which is truly unforgivable.

“I want to urge any victim of sexual abuse to please speak out regardless of when it happened or who the perpetrator was.

“We can offer support and guidance and put you in touch with specially-trained Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs) and introduce you to support networks who’ll be there for you at every step of the investigation.

“We’ll do everything we can to get you the justice you deserve, no matter how much time has passed.”

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