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Police Investigations into historical interference with young players


spyinthesky

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There is a You Tube video of the 1997 Dispatches Channel 4 programme, which is openly available there - actually goes through Bennell, and also interviews an ex-Saints player regarding a person, who I think we're all talking about. It's short but about 35mins in.

 

Not going to link to it here, but I can't believe that no-one in the local media is following it up. I guess for legal reasons.

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There is a You Tube video of the 1997 Dispatches Channel 4 programme, which is openly available there - actually goes through Bennell, and also interviews an ex-Saints player regarding a person, who I think we're all talking about. It's short but about 35mins in.

 

Not going to link to it here, but I can't believe that no-one in the local media is following it up. I guess for legal reasons.

 

Featuring a young Les Reed talking about introducing a "code of conduct" at Charlton!!!

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Featuring a young Les Reed talking about introducing a "code of conduct" at Charlton!!!

 

Haha, yeah the post above is a little misleading - go to 35 mins expecting to see a "notorious" person, and up pops Les Reed! Thought Channon's sideburns was just joking around until the video moved on to a different person a few minutes later.

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Interviewed two players who waived the right to anonymity and described what eventually lead to a sexual assault. One of the players interviewed suggested the club must have known what was going on, and there was an interview with Dave Merrington who said he reported the rumours he'd heard to the club. The reporter said she'd spoken to other ex players who were abused but they wished to remain anonymous.

 

Images and videos of the Dell and our club badge etc.

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Interviewed two players who waived the right to anonymity and described what eventually lead to a sexual assault. One of the players interviewed suggested the club must have known what was going on, and there was an interview with Dave Merrington who said he reported the rumours he'd heard to the club. The reporter said she'd spoken to other ex players who were abused but they wished to remain anonymous.

 

Images and videos of the Dell and our club badge etc.

 

Who were the players?

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Pretty damning stuff on South Today right now, our name is well and truly being dragged though the mud.

 

 

Hopefully those responsible are caught and punished for their horrible crimes.

 

Having said that this happened 30 odd years ago I'm not sure the current owners can take much blame. Is there even anyone still at the club who would have been at the club 30 years ago.?

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Something similar happened in hockey circles here in Canada featuring a convicted sex offender named Graham James, who was the coach of a junior team called the Swift Current Broncos. At least two of his young victims ended up in the NHL.

 

This kind of criminality has a severe impact on the victims. For some, it pushes their life completely off the rails. Anyone who comes forward should be applauded, and the offender/s will hopefully end up facing criminal prosecutions and lengthy incarceration.

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Just watched that Dispatches programme. Unless that Southampton coach sued Channel Four and won, not entirely sure why we couldn't a) link the video b) mention his name.

 

But I'm not going to because this forum is my entire life and I don't want to be banned. Please don't ban me.

 

However, I will shortly be posting up a cartoon of the prophet Muhammad.

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Just watched that Dispatches programme. Unless that Southampton coach sued Channel Four and won, not entirely sure why we couldn't a) link the video b) mention his name.

 

But I'm not going to because this forum is my entire life and I don't want to be banned. Please don't ban me.

 

However, I will shortly be posting up a cartoon of the prophet Muhammad.

 

Was he at it aswell? Dirty b*stard.

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dean radford Jamie webb

 

In and around the same youth sides as le tissier, benali, shearer

 

Is anyone going to name the person who it might be I remember someone leaving under a cloud after accusations were made but I'm not brave enough to name him on here but someone has on another medium.

Edited by Toomer
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Is anyone going to name the person who it might be I remember someone leaving under a cloud after accusations were made but I'm not brave enough to name him on here but someone has on another medium.

 

Its only a matter of time until some names of possible abusers begin to leak out, especially with the reports the phone line setup by the NSPCC has had an unprecedented amount of calls to report stuff in its first day. I'm wondering who will be the first household name to come forward as a possible victim, and in turn whether any household name will be linked as one of the abusers.

 

A lot of the focus in the Nationals today is that Chelsea may have paid off a victim to stop them going public about abuse by a former employee in the 70's, and I dare say they might not be the only ones to do so.

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I cannot see how there can be an issue with naming the guy who was a youth coach at our club who was tried (but acquitted) of sexual offences. Alleging on here that he had done anything untoward would likely be defamatory, but saying that he was tried and acquitted would not be.

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Paying off victims to be kept quiet should be classed as being complicit in the abuse in my opinion....

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Was probably considered a legitimate form of negotiating an 'out of court settlement' at the time though .

 

A stronger case to argue over complicity is if the known or suspected offender was left in place to re-offend.

Edited by Badger
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So in 1997 Dean Radford specifically talked about and named the coach responsible and it was broadcast on national TV but in 2016, with the exact same victim talking about the exact same incidents with the exact same perpetrator no one is named?

 

Odd.

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The sad thing is that I've seen filthy disparaging comments on social media from "them down the road" already ....sigh, they're loving it...

 

Who cares? That's not important in the slightest. This isn't exactly the kind of thing one should be using to be getting one over on a rival. Shame on anybody who does.

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This is disgusting to hear and I'm pleased that the club will be allowing a full investigation. The sad thing is that I've seen filthy disparaging comments on social media from "them down the road" already ....sigh, they're loving it...

This really isn't a topic for 'points scoring'. It isn't banter, it isn't tribal - it isn't about football. It is much more serious than that. If they are using it for inter club rivalry then they are simply demonstrating their total ignorance.

 

Personally I sincerely hope that we refrain from such interaction and show proper respect for the many victims in this whole sorry saga.

 

Sent from my Hudl 2 using Tapatalk

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Just mention Graeme Rix.

 

They knowingly employed as manager a convicted sex offender who had done time and was still on the Sex Offenders' register.

 

I don't care what the muppets down the road say tbh. I won't be using topics like this to score points. Just proper gutted that our clubs name is now being dragged through the mud.

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I don't care what the muppets down the road say tbh. I won't be using topics like this to score points. Just proper gutted that our clubs name is now being dragged through the mud.

It's not really, these are historical allegations, it doesn't really tarnish the name of Southampton FC 2016 IMO

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This is the trouble in these 24 hour rolling news hungry times, especially following the Jimmy Saville business, everything on this subject has become a sensationalised witch hunt where the media is concerned, you just have to remember when the Old Bill rocked up round Sir Cliff Richards house coppers everywhere like it was an armed siege and helicopters in the sky, the bloke is in his seventies and very unlikely to be on his toes over the fields like some scallywag.

In our case what a juicy story for the likes of Sky to run a breaking news ticker on SSN for half the evening, the reportedly best football academy in the land at a "nothing" club, oooh a nice plump target to give a kicking to.

 

Obviously this is a very serious matter, and it seems over half the football league teams are now being investigated for what is an historical set of events at a time when these things could and were brushed aside and under the carpet, Chelsea allegedly having paid a victim hush money was rumoured the other day. But for quite a few years now systems have been put in place in an effort to protect young people from adults they are entrusted to, who are not under the watchful eye of their parents. I have a mate who teaches kids golf at a golf course he has had to be CRB checked/certified (or whatever you call it now), those of you who have shopping delivered from the supermarket to your house those delivery drivers are CRB checked!

 

The fact that years have clicked on and systems have changed since all these terrible acts occurred obviously doesn't matter to the media, guilty until proven innocent is the mantra to stick by where they are concerned, and sod the fact that the mud remains long after they have moved on.

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Is anyone going to name the person who it might be I remember someone leaving under a cloud after accusations were made but I'm not brave enough to name him on here but someone has on another medium.

 

I'd completely forgotten about this until it came up again on the BBC last night. I can remember the 80s fella previously referred to in this thread though.

 

Shocking really.

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There is a very good reason any alleged offender cannot be named, and it is because it would be defamatory to do so.

 

A person was cleared of charges back in the 1990s, and until such time as that person is charged again, he is an innocent man.

 

I am not defending him, but that is how he stands in the eyes of the law. Anybody naming him and linking him with these current allegations until such time as he is found guilty would risk libelling him.

 

That's why even Jamie Webb and Dean Radford have avoided naming anybody in public.

 

As I mentioned previously, part of the reason a person was acquitted in the first place was because the lack of anonymity afforded to victims meant only one person was prepared to stand up in court and give evidence, and as it was effectively one person's word against another's it was not enough for a jury to convict.

 

This is absolutely no criticism of those who would not give surrender their anonymity and evidence in court at the time because none of us would know what they went through.

 

But had they been prepared to do so at the time instead of coming forward now - bravely, despite the change of climate since those days - there would have been more chance of a conviction.

 

I am not sure about the double jeopardy rules about facing a charge for which a person has already been acquitted. It might be new charges can arise from their allegations.

 

Although this has nothing to do with the current regime at the club, my fear is that some pretty famous names will be implicated in this whole scandal.

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It's not really, these are historical allegations, it doesn't really tarnish the name of Southampton FC 2016 IMO

 

But it does though. These things might have happened several years ago and different management is in place, but as with Saville, once you are associated with this stuff it isn't going to go away. It will tarnish the previous good name of the academy and the club. As for others using it against us you only have to look at the way the Munich Air Disaster and the hissing noises made towards Spuds fans to know that nothing is out of bounds. You can bet your life that it will be used against us and other clubs in involved by rival fans.

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South Today are stirring things and exaggerating. To say Dean Radford has foregone their anonymity to talk to them is crap because Radford blew his cover back in the 90s when this story broke. As far as I know no one at SFC covered anything up, there was a court case and as Florida Martin correctly states a man was found not guilty. There didn't appear much more the club could do, he no longer worked for the club but he remained the agent of one or two high profile players which left everyone feeling a bit uneasy. I don't think Saints are guilty of anything untoward over this case, which has been in the public domain for 20 years.

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Looking at Chelsea, so as to avoid being accused of bias towards Saints, I look at the timing of things. If the people involved in the disgusting attacks and subsequent payments, were there and it all took place before Abramovich's watch, then can the modern day club really be held accountable? A different era with people who aren't involved in any way with the club today, and I never go into collective responsibility.

 

This is by no means an attempt to ignore the seriousness of what has happened, far from it. If it was up to me, this sort of thing would be a capital crime.

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Looking at Chelsea, so as to avoid being accused of bias towards Saints, I look at the timing of things. If the people involved in the disgusting attacks and subsequent payments, were there and it all took place before Abramovich's watch, then can the modern day club really be held accountable? A different era with people who aren't involved in any way with the club today, and I never go into collective responsibility.

 

This is by no means an attempt to ignore the seriousness of what has happened, far from it. If it was up to me, this sort of thing would be a capital crime.

 

According to today's G. the payment(s) were paid 'in the last three years' which is just extraordinary if it's true.

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Looking at Chelsea, so as to avoid being accused of bias towards Saints, I look at the timing of things. If the people involved in the disgusting attacks and subsequent payments, were there and it all took place before Abramovich's watch, then can the modern day club really be held accountable? A different era with people who aren't involved in any way with the club today, and I never go into collective responsibility.

 

This is by no means an attempt to ignore the seriousness of what has happened, far from it. If it was up to me, this sort of thing would be a capital crime.

 

In no way related or as bad as this, but you'd be surprised at what the club have covered up in the last couple of years to avoid bad publicity.

 

I know of 2 cases where someone has been paid to keep hush around incidents involving 1 former loan player (assault, in the middle of Bedford place - funny enough he only ever played for us again once after the incident and later that season surprisingly joint another PL team where he played once or twice. Now applying his trade at his parent club in the championship) and a current player (Infidelity).

 

I hope if anyone at the club, past or present was involved or knew this was going on, is punished accordingly. However, like you post above, I can't see what the implications can be if this was before (way before) the current owners watch.

 

A lot more to come on this, from a number of clubs, I suspect.

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South Today are stirring things and exaggerating. To say Dean Radford has foregone their anonymity to talk to them is crap because Radford blew his cover back in the 90s when this story broke. As far as I know no one at SFC covered anything up, there was a court case and as Florida Martin correctly states a man was found not guilty. There didn't appear much more the club could do, he no longer worked for the club but he remained the agent of one or two high profile players which left everyone feeling a bit uneasy. I don't think Saints are guilty of anything untoward over this case, which has been in the public domain for 20 years.

 

Put yourself in Radford's position. The club put him to stay at Mr Xs house, where he was abused. The club aren't directly guilty, but they must take some of the responsibility.

 

Interesting that we had such a conveyor belt of talent coming through in the 80s. You would have thought that clubs would have been falling over themselves to recruit Mr X. They didn't.

 

The current club can't be held responsible for this mind you.

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-3992030/FA-tough-Chelsea-Eddie-Heath-child-sex-abuse.html

 

Says Chelsea paid last year. If I am honest, they could have turned around and said it was a different company, different club, different era and that they weren't paying. OF course the payment is to save their name being besmirched, and I am afraid to say that that is wrong.

 

SKD - the loan player has a bit of a history of beating people up, but didn't know about Bedford Place - not sure whether he played for us once more because of that or because he was shiit.

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Put yourself in Radford's position. The club put him to stay at Mr Xs house, where he was abused. The club aren't directly guilty, but they must take some of the responsibility.

 

The problem is, that you would then be holding Katharina Liebherr partly responsible due to her owning the club.

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This is disgusting to hear and I'm pleased that the club will be allowing a full investigation. The sad thing is that I've seen filthy disparaging comments on social media from "them down the road" already ....sigh, they're loving it...

It never rains but it pours eh?!? How does the song go? The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain :D

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In no way related or as bad as this, but you'd be surprised at what the club have covered up in the last couple of years to avoid bad publicity.

 

I know of 2 cases where someone has been paid to keep hush around incidents involving 1 former loan player (assault, in the middle of Bedford place - funny enough he only ever played for us again once after the incident and later that season surprisingly joint another PL team where he played once or twice. Now applying his trade at his parent club in the championship).

 

 

God, he was ****ing **** though wasn't he?

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-3992030/FA-tough-Chelsea-Eddie-Heath-child-sex-abuse.html

 

Says Chelsea paid last year. If I am honest, they could have turned around and said it was a different company, different club, different era and that they weren't paying. OF course the payment is to save their name being besmirched, and I am afraid to say that that is wrong.

 

SKD - the loan player has a bit of a history of beating people up, but didn't know about Bedford Place - not sure whether he played for us once more because of that or because he was shiit.

 

Nope, definitely due to this although I'd have thought the fact he was absolutely sh!t helped the clubs decision. If you remember he spent a couple of weeks out with a mystery 'injury' then played a couple of games for the u21's. The lad in question got a fairly decent pay cheque out of it though c.10K. Assume this would have been paid by the player (taken out of wages / fines) rather than the club.

 

Pretty poor by the club, but I think in situations like that a payout it suited all parties. The lad gets a decent holiday and the club / player gets no bad press or publicity.

 

This is completely different however as it will have a long term impact on anyone affected.

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