Boy ‘abused during lifts’

A FORMER youth footballer has told a court that ex-coach Barry Bennell abused him as they travelled to and from training at Manchester City.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that the alleged victim met Mr Bennell, 64, when he was a scout for the Blues.

The complainant said he was scouted for the club’s junior team and would travel to matches and training with Mr Bennell. He said: “He would pick me up on all occasions. My parents were very busy and they trusted Mr Bennell to pick me up.”

But he said the abuse began ‘straight away’ after Mr Bennell started giving him lifts and described a game called Follow Me which the former Crewe Alexandra coach would play with him. “He would move his hands around your body on the outside of your clothes, tickle you, and you would have to do the same to him,” he said.

But, he said, the game would keep going until his hands were ‘inside your shirt or inside your underpants’.

He told the court: “I just thought it was normal, this is what you have to do.”

He said the abuse would take place regularly, if not every time Mr Bennell gave him a lift. He said: “That game was pretty much ongoing until, basically, I walked away from football.”

Mr Bennell, who is appearing in court via videolink due to illness, denies 48 counts of child sex abuse.

Proceeding