ADVERTISEMENT

UK football coach repeatedly raped youth, court told

Chris Unsworth, 45, said Bennell, 64, preyed on him after scouting him for Manchester City as a junior and the abuse began "straight away" after the defendant started driving him to the club's training ground.

ADVERTISEMENT

Unsworth, who has waived his right to anonymity, appeared in the witness box at Liverpool Crown Court in the northwest English city.

The second of 11 complainants who will enter the witness box during the trial, he said the abuse started in the car with a game devised by Bennell called "follow me".

"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," Unsworth told the court.

ADVERTISEMENT

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

Unsworth alleged that abuse also took place at Bennell's home.

The "follow me" scenario would lead to the initiation of sexual activity and Bennell would allegedly often end up in bed in between two boys, according to Unsworth.

"You would always do what he said. You was hoping he would not ask you," he said.

Unsworth alleged that sexual activity escalated and eventually led to Bennell raping him "about half a dozen times".

ADVERTISEMENT

"The first time I will never forget it," he said. "I was just crying, the pain. It felt like it went on for hours but it was probably two or three minutes."

Unsworth said sexual contact with Bennell diminished as he hit puberty and ended when he quit football, because he had "had enough".

Bennell, who is appearing in court via video-link due to illness, is being tried on 48 counts of historical child sex abuse between 1979 and 1990. He denies the charges.

Jurors have heard Bennell is a convicted sex offender who has served prison sentences.

He has pleaded guilty to seven counts of indecent assault related to his current trial.

ADVERTISEMENT

The court was read a transcript of a police interview with Bennell conducted in February 2017.

Bennell denied abusing Unsworth but admitted that he had stayed at his house and slept in his bed.

He said the youth footballer would have been too young for him to be attracted to when they first met.

He said: "I always tended to aim for the 13-year-olds."

Bennell also claimed he had been abusing another boy at the time he knew Unsworth.

ADVERTISEMENT

He said: "I had a victim; I didn't need two or three or four."

The trial, which opened on Monday, is expected to last eight weeks.

FOLLOW BUSINESS INSIDER AFRICA

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Recommended articles

Congo is spending 22% of its scarce revenue on security - Minister

Congo is spending 22% of its scarce revenue on security - Minister

Another African country is set to get a Russian embassy

Another African country is set to get a Russian embassy

Medic West Africa 2024: A resounding success in fostering collaboration and innovation for a brighter healthcare future

Medic West Africa 2024: A resounding success in fostering collaboration and innovation for a brighter healthcare future

10 African countries with the most troubling external debt in 2024

10 African countries with the most troubling external debt in 2024

10 African countries with the least soft power influence over the world

10 African countries with the least soft power influence over the world

Kenyan government rejects calls to ban TikTok, recommends tighter control over

Kenyan government rejects calls to ban TikTok, recommends tighter control over

Congo accuses Apple of conflict minerals in its supply chain

Congo accuses Apple of conflict minerals in its supply chain

Top 10 African countries with the highest fuel prices in April 2024

Top 10 African countries with the highest fuel prices in April 2024

The gold trade in Uganda makes a huge comeback

The gold trade in Uganda makes a huge comeback

ADVERTISEMENT