Barry Bennell, the serial pedophile whose abuse of young boys rocked the world of soccer, was described as “the devil incarnate” after being sentenced to 31 years in jail on Monday.
The 64-year-old former football coach, now known as Richard Jones, was sentenced for 50 counts of child sexual abuse against 12 boys between the ages of eight and 15 from 1979 to 1991.
During his summation, Judge Clement Goldstone QC told Liverpool Crown Court that Bennell’s actions were “sheer evil.”
“Your behavior towards these boys in grooming and seducing them before subjecting them to, in some cases, the most most serious, degrading and humiliating abuse was sheer evil.”
He added that Bennell had appeared to his victims as a god, adding: “In reality, you were the devil incarnate. You stole their childhoods and their innocence to satisfy your own perversion.”
More to follow…