Justice has been done, says victim

A VICTIM of predator George Ormond says justice has been done after he was convicted of a campaign of sexual abuse.

The perverted football coach targeted 18 boys and young men over a 24-year period in a series of sordid attacks.

Ormond had previously been convicted of similar attacks in 2002 and served a prison sentence.

Now he is facing a lengthy spell behind bars, and one of his victims from the earlier set of offences bravely waived his right to anonymity to speak out about the abuser.

Former Newcastle United player Derek Bell spoke out two years ago about the abuse he suffered at the hands of Ormond, and that prompted more victims to go to the police to reveal what happened to them.

Outside court, he said: “I waived my anonymity in November 2016 because I knew George Ormond was a predatory paedophile and that there must be more victims out there.

“If one person had come forward I would have felt I had done my job – the fact that so many victims came forward, and he has now been found guilty of 36 offences over 24 years, shows just how many people were affected.

“The fact that a number of the victims came forward after November 2016 shows that difficult as it is, in the right circumstances, when people are ready, speaking out is very important and can encourage other people to deal with their trauma and bring sexual offenders to justice.

“It has been a long 16 months, with ups and downs, but the fact that we are here today makes it all worthwhile.

“With these verdicts, justice has been done, and I would like to thank Northumbria police for their hard work and for conducting such a thorough investigation.

“Today is for the people who found the strength to come forward and speak to the police, then give their evidence in court.

“Society is coming to understand more about the lifelong trauma which sexual abuse can cause, and the impact it has not only on the victims but on their families and friends.

“There is a greater appreciation now of the courage it takes for people to come forward and report it.

“This case shows again how vital safeguarding is, to protect children and young people from such offenders, not only in football, but all areas of life.

“It also shows how important it is for support to be in place for victims, and for people who do come forward.”

A victim of the more recent offences went in the witness box to tell of the suffering Ormond has caused him.

The man said: “As a direct result of suffering sexual abuse as a child I found it very difficult to trust any of my peers and it destroyed any self confidence I had as a youngster.

“There was a lot of selfloathing from within that manifested itself in stress and depression in adult life.”

The man said his children participate in sports and he made a point of attending every training session and match, in part due to feeling protective and concerned they did not suffer sexual abuse as he had.

He added: “Having appeared in Crown Court for the first time and talked in detail about something I’ve kept buried away to total strangers, caused me more stress then you can ever imagine.”