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Police Investigations into historical interference with young players


spyinthesky

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Looks like Hampshire Police are now involved.

 

Perhaps this involves one of our notorious previous Youth team coaches going back to the 1980's

 

Fact of life that, in the past, there were a number of unsavoury people associated with football at amateur and professional level.

 

I have a good mate who suffered and personally I played for a local team manager in my teens who, unknown to me, had a reputation for getting involved in the game for the wrong reasons. Very fortunately I had no idea about this and never suffered but, on reflection, the signs were there.

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Looks like Hampshire Police are now involved.

 

Perhaps this involves one of our notorious previous Youth team coaches going back to the 1980's

 

Fact of life that, in the past, there were a number of unsavoury people associated with football at amateur and professional level.

 

I have a good mate who suffered and personally I played for a local team manager in my teens who, unknown to me, had a reputation for getting involved in the game for the wrong reasons. Very fortunately I had no idea about this and never suffered but, on reflection, the signs were there.

 

Yes, let's speculate on a forum who it might be with complete disregard to the consequences. The forum will be held liable for any disingenuous content so folks should think very carefully about posting.

 

As for the events that are coming to light, horrific.

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Looks like Hampshire Police are now involved.

 

Perhaps this involves one of our notorious previous Youth team coaches going back to the 1980's

 

Fact of life that, in the past, there were a number of unsavoury people associated with football at amateur and professional level.

 

I have a good mate who suffered and personally I played for a local team manager in my teens who, unknown to me, had a reputation for getting involved in the game for the wrong reasons. Very fortunately I had no idea about this and never suffered but, on reflection, the signs were there.

 

oh dear

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Yes, let's speculate on a forum who it might be with complete disregard to the consequences. The forum will be held liable for any disingenuous content so folks should think very carefully about posting.

 

As for the events that are coming to light, horrific.

 

Speculation only

 

No names suggested

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There will be clubs all over the country being investigated before this comes to a conclusion I would imagine.

 

 

 

Considering everything that has come out in entertainment, politics and social care over the last few years you'd have to be very naive to believe that paedophiles weren't drawn to youth sports like a moth to a light in the 70s, 80s and 90s when child protection was pretty non existent.

 

 

 

Lets hope the scum are brought to justice no matter what clubs they worked for.

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Ray Barnes was the former secretary of Hants FA who was convicted in 2010 of five counts of abusing young boys.

 

He was bailed and due to be sentenced when he took stock of the facts he would be going to prison and that his status as a nonce, a former magistrate and a special constable would ensure a pretty rough time for him inside, and at 72, he would only be coming out of chokey in a pine box in in any case.

 

Hence. he went head-first off West Quay carpark.

 

There had always been rumours about him and I remember one prominent Wessex League club official who was previously a referee, made specific allegations about him but would not go on record as back then victims did not have anonymity.

 

Barnes was eventually brought down by a past victim who had moved to Australia and after his treatment and abuse at his hands, gnawed way at him for years, tendered a formal complaint to Hampshire Police, and a a result of their inquiries, several other victims came forward.

 

He got another kick in the teeth after he was in the ground when a directive from the Wessex League (of which he was a prime mover and shaker) to observe a minute's silence before games in his memory received a firm two fingers from clubs who threatened to boycott any such move, as they did not feel it was right to honour the memory of a convicted paedophile.

 

As for the other person some posters have been comment on, be careful that he was not convicted and that one of the main tenets of a successful libel claim is whether he can be identified.

 

While members of the general public may not know him, he could argue that those with specialist knowledge would be able to identify him by piecing together things said about him (known legally as jigsaw identification) and could sue.

 

The sad and worrying thing, which is perhaps indicative of the problems and issues involved, is that there quite a few people in the Hampshire football community who still hold fond memories of Barnes, and only prefer to remember the positive things he did for the game at a local level, completely choosing to ignore what a vile, reprehensible human being he was.

 

By the way, the dead cannot be libelled, so feel free to fill your boots on comments and stories on him.

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There was a very prominent Youth Team coach at least linked to this sort of thing down here in the 90's. Won't say his name on here but petty well known there were allegations about him. Not exactly surprised, just hope the club did the right thing at the time.

 

I can recall something from 20 years or so ago.

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The sad and worrying thing, which is perhaps indicative of the problems and issues involved, is that there quite a few people in the Hampshire football community who still hold fond memories of Barnes, and only prefer to remember the positive things he did for the game at a local level, completely choosing to ignore what a vile, reprehensible human being he was.

 

This seems to happen a lot unfortunately- you just need to watch the recent Louis Theroux documentary revisiting Jimmy Saville to see a couple of examples. Perhaps people make some subconscious attempt to distance themselves from guilt they feel about not seeing it at the time. Or perhaps they're just ignorant and heartless.

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There was a very prominent Youth Team coach at least linked to this sort of thing down here in the 90's. Won't say his name on here but petty well known there were allegations about him. Not exactly surprised, just hope the club did the right thing at the time.

 

I'm aware of who this man is too, I'd wondered when/if the lid would be lifted on this, in light of recent events.

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There was a very prominent Youth Team coach at least linked to this sort of thing down here in the 90's. Won't say his name on here but petty well known there were allegations about him. Not exactly surprised, just hope the club did the right thing at the time.

 

This; I seem to remember there being a Panorama-type programme which detailed the allegations (which contained interviews with various Youth team players), but don't remember anything coming of it?

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If it's who I think . It related to rumours well before the 90's

however if it is to do with case in the early nineties, this individual was exonerated of all charges .

 

You're right, it was actually the 80's. However said individual was still doing summer soccer camps "in touch with League Clubs" in the 90's, I was "scouted" along with others in my side but my old man wouldn't let me anywhere near it due to the association with alleged nonce.

 

Can of worms this all over the country. Good to see fellas finally able to talk about this sort of thing and expose the disgusting stuff that went on. Some of the stuff I read about Bennell and his "play house" at the weekend in the broadsheets was unbelievable and quite disturbing. Word going round this could be bigger than Saville.

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It was around in the early sixties . Two guys in Edinburgh were encouraging parents to let their kids join a football school in Colinton . Fortunately my parents and others refused toet us join , as there were rumours doing the rounds about these two people . I hadn't a clue at the time being mad keen on footy I was disappointed I was allowed to join . It was only some years later when I asked my dad about we he stopped me I realised what I would have potentially let myself in for

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If it's who I think . It related to rumours well before the 90's

however if it is to do with case in the early nineties, this individual was exonerated of all charges .

 

Acquitted yes, but exonerated is pushing it. The first youth player to give evidence fell apart and the prosecution case struggled from there.

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It's a bit dangerous bandying people's name around on Twitter.

 

Some people are under the completely false impress that you have to be a professional journalist or member of the media to be sued for libel. No you don't.

 

The information about this person's acquittal is in the public domain and there is nothing to prevent you publishing this fact. However, the problem arises if you link it in any way with current claims or allegations which have not been tested in a court of law.

 

As was posted above, the problem with many of these cases in the past is that while the police would have acted on written statements and in those pre-CPS days brought charges, there was no anonymity for victims, who would have been required to stand up in a court of law to give evidence, which many of them, being prominent players, they were not prepared to do.

 

In one case only one victim was prepared to stand up in court and testify, but being the only victim to do so, it became a case of his sole word against the accused and that was not enough for a jury to convict.

 

I know some of those who gave written evidence, but who would not testify in court and their names would, believe me, shock you.

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Looks like Hampshire Police are now involved.

 

Perhaps this involves one of our notorious previous Youth team coaches going back to the 1980's

 

Fact of life that, in the past, there were a number of unsavoury people associated with football at amateur and professional level.

 

I have a good mate who suffered and personally I played for a local team manager in my teens who, unknown to me, had a reputation for getting involved in the game for the wrong reasons. Very fortunately I had no idea about this and never suffered but, on reflection, the signs were there.

 

Would you care to clarify whether you mean we had more than one 'notorious' youth team coach or one notorious member among our youth team coaches? When you chuck stuff like this around you should make it crystal clear what you mean and then have evidence to back it up.

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Would you care to clarify whether you mean we had more than one 'notorious' youth team coach or one notorious member among our youth team coaches? When you chuck stuff like this around you should make it crystal clear what you mean and then have evidence to back it up.

 

Hughies,

Accept poor choice of words and you are quite correct to take me to task on this.

'Notorious' is defined as well known or famous, typically for some bad quality or deed.

It is fair to say I am now 'notorious' for poor sentence creation and I should have made it clear that the term reflected the singular not the plural.

My apologies.

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