Former football coach found guilty of sexually assaulting 14-year-old boy

 A former Southampton FC youth football coach was yesterday convicted of sexually abusing a young trainee, but faces retrial on 48 other counts after the jury failed to reach verdicts.

Bob Higgins, 65, was convicted of the single charge of indecent assault against the boy, who was 14 at the time and one of 24 alleged victims, following an eight-week trial at Winchester Crown Court.

Higgins, from Southampton, Hants, was also cleared of an assault.

Judge Jonathan Fuller QC thanked the jurors for their service and told them: “I am going to discharge you from giving verdicts on the remaining counts. Thank you very much for the efforts and hard work you have put into this case over the last eight weeks.”

Adam Feest QC, prosecuting, told the court that a retrial is likely to be held on the remaining counts in February 2019.

Higgins, who ran the schoolboy coaching programmes for Southampton Football Club and Peterborough United, was accused during the trial of 50 counts of indecent assault against the complainants dating between 1971 and 1996. The defendant was released on conditional bail.