Police identify 155 potential suspects in abuse probe
Wednesday 21 December 2016 09:51, UK
The number of potential suspects in the child sexual abuse in football investigation has risen to 155, say police.
That is up from 83 at the start of December, according to the National Police Chiefs' Council.
New figures on Operation Hydrant also show the number of potential victims stands at 429.
Some 819 referrals have so far been made from police forces and from the NSPCC helpline - at the start of the month there had been 639.
Detectives are sifting through the referrals to see whether any information is duplicated and if it relates to a victim or a witness.
The investigation ballooned after several former professional footballers came forward to say they were abused as youngsters by people working for clubs as coaches or scouts.
Ages of the potential victims range from four to 20.
National Police Chiefs' Council lead for Child Protection, Chief Constable Simon Bailey said: "Allegations received by police forces across the country are being swiftly acted upon.
"We continue to urge anyone who may have been a victim of child sexual abuse to report it by dialling 101, or contacting the dedicated NSPCC helpline, regardless of how long ago the abuse may have taken place."
