Newcastle United ready to assist authorities after abuse claims
Friday 25 November 2016 11:45, UK
Newcastle United have said they will cooperate fully with the police and relevant authorities after one of their former players came forward to say he was abused by a coach as a young footballer.
The Guardian reported on Thursday that an unnamed former Newcastle player had contacted police to make allegations against George Ormond, a coach in the north east who was jailed for six years in 2002 for carrying out numerous assaults across a 24-year period.
A spokesman for Northumbria Police told the Guardian: "We have received a report in relation to an allegation of historic [sic] sexual offences in Newcastle. We are working closely with, and supporting, the victim and enquiries are ongoing."
Newcastle have responded to the report by saying they will provide every assistance they can to the investigation when they receive further information.
A club statement read: "At this time, the only information we have is that which appeared in the Guardian newspaper. Clearly Newcastle United will cooperate fully with the police and relevant authorities and provide every assistance we can if or when the club receives further information.
"The club would encourage anyone with information about possible child abuse in our game to report their concerns to the police, the football authorities or the NSPCC.
"The FA has commissioned in conjunction with the NSPCC a specific helpline for individuals who wish to come forward with further information. The number is 0800 023 2642."
Meanwhile, two other men have alleged they were victims of Barry Bennell, a former coach who sexually abused young boys across three decades from the 1970s onward.
Former Manchester City youth team player Jason Dunford has alleged a paedophile ring was running in professional football and it was covered up as part of a conspiracy, while Chris Unsworth, a former Crewe youngster, has also come forward with allegations against Bennell.
The latest claims come after retired players Andy Woodward, Steve Walters, Paul Stewart and David White spoke out publicly about the abuse they suffered as young footballers.
Woodward, Walters and White have all said they were victims of Bennell while Stewart said he was abused by another youth coach.
Bennell, who worked for Crewe, Manchester City, Stoke and several junior teams in north-west England and the Midlands, was given a four-year sentence for raping a British boy on a football tour of Florida in 1994 and then a nine-year sentence for 23 offences against six boys in England in 1998.
He was jailed for a third time in 2015 when he pleaded guilty to abusing a boy at a football camp in Macclesfield in 1980.
