Paedophile coach loses sentence challenge

PAEDOPHILE FOOTBALL coach Barry Bennell has lost a challenge against his 30-year prison sentence for child sex offences.

Three Court of Appeal judges in London ruled yesterday that the length of his jail term for multiple offences against boys he coached was not excessive.

The former Crewe Alexandra coach and Manchester City scout was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court in February for 52 offences committed against 12 boys he coached between 1979 and 1991.

Bennell’s appeal was listed under his new name, Richard Jones, and was heard by Lady Justice Hallett, Mr Justice Stuart-Smith and Mr Justice Choudhury.

Dismissing his challenge, Lady Justice Hallett said that because of the “huge scale” of his offending it would be “wrong” for the court to interfere with the sentence. His prison term could not be described as “manifestly excessive or wrong in principle”.

During his six-week trial, Bennell, 64, was said to have committed “industrial scale” levels of abuse against vulnerable prepubescent boys in his care.

Complainants told how he had a “power hold” over them as they dreamed of becoming professional footballers. Labelling him “the devil incarnate”, Judge Clement Goldstone QC told him he would serve half of the 30-year term in custody with the rest on licence.

He was also ordered to serve an additional licence period of one year.