A TICKING TIMEBOMB
Abused former star tells how kids MUST be protected Stewart: We must invest in safeguarding before it’s too late
IT was in November 2016 that the full horrors of Paul Stewart’s past exploded – with the revelation that he had been sexually abused by his junior football coach.
Now, the former England international has warned, that there are many more “ticking timebombs” waiting to go off.
Stewart, 53, an outstanding striker and midfielder for Blackpool, Manchester City, Tottenham, Liverpool and Sunderland, has now dedicated himself to protecting future generations from the kind of predatory paedophile who snatched away his childhood.
And he hopes that his story will encourage fellow victims to seek help dealing with their demons before the damage becomes irreparable.
Stewart, who is now qualified to teach a safeguarding course that helps officials of grassroots clubs and organisations keep children safe, said: “When I came forward to tell my story in November 2016, it wasn’t to get retribution.
“The man, who abused me, died in 2005, so I was never going to see him punished in court.
“My motivation for speaking out was to try and bring some change in the way we safeguard our kids.
“Football is in the spotlight at the moment because of the Barry Bennell case and the sheer number of people who have broken years of silence to accuse him of terrible crimes. But this is a problem for the whole of society.
“The paedophiles are out there and they will try to attach themselves to any child-related activity – be it football, cricket, gymnastics or even dancing.
“What we need to do is to make it as hard as possible for them to access our kids – and that means investing in safeguarding measures.
“There are a lot of people out there who have suffered the same kind of abuse I did – some have come forward, but a lot still haven’t. “I am hoping that any youngster who has been affected can now find the courage to speak out before it’s too late, so that damage can be addressed.
“I’ve been told the average time for an abused person to come forward is between 20 and 30 years – a lot of damage can be done to a person in that time.
“It’s like having a ticking timebomb inside your head.”
Bennell, 64, who was a scout for Manchester City and Crewe Alexandra, will be sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court tomorrow, after being found guilty of 50 counts of sexual abuse against 12 boys.
He was an associate of Frank Roper, the coach who molested Stewart between the ages of 11 and 15 when he played for Nova, a club affiliated to Blackpool.
Despite a career that took him to the very top, Stewart suffered problems with alcohol and drug abuse as he struggled to deal with what had happened to him.
But when ex-crewe player Andy Woodward (inset) bravely spoke about about what he had suffered at the hands of Bennell, the dam of emotions inside him broke.
Stewart (below) was one of dozens of victims who found the courage to come forward and his autobiography, Damaged, detailed his darkest days.
Fifteen months after breaking his silence, Stewart is stepping up the fight.
Last year, he joined forces with fellow victims Ian Ackley, Derek Ball and David White to set up a charity – the SAVE Association – which is committed to implementing bestpractice safeguarding measures and helping those who have been abused.
Stewart added: “I don’t want to be a scaremonger, but this is a widespread problem and it isn’t going away.
“You can work with paedophiles and give them therapy in the hope they don’t offend, but they are out there lurking in our society and there isn’t a tablet you can give them to change their sexual preference.
“What needs to be stressed, however, is that this isn’t a problem just limited to football. This is an issue that the whole of society has to address. “You only have to look at the Jimmy Savile scandal to see that these people operate in any walk of life where they see a dark space they can fill. What we’ve got to do is shine a light on them. “We have also got to remember that, for every individual who wants to abuse kids, there are thousands of other people who get involved in junior football for the love of the game. “Now we’ve got to give coaches, committee members, parents the tools to spot the danger signs. “If, in 10 or 15 years’ time, I am reading stories about these disgusting people still being able to freely access our kids then I’ll be devastated. “If nothing changes, I will feel that speaking out will have all been in vain.”
I’d be devastated if these disgusting people are still at it in 15 years