Sexual abuse of young players | Bennell gets 31 years (expected to serve 15) | Dead

DomesticTadpole

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Totally agree, bring those who knew but turned a blind eye to justice. This is just going to be the tip of the iceberg and won't be the only sport implicated
What has been going on in American gymnastics just shows that kids sports attracts these sort of people. It is a shame for the hard working people who just love coaching kids.
 

crossy1686

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Would Crewe be able to afford the damage costs? Surely it would bankrupt them.
I worked in Crewe for a little while and even went to a few home games with some of the locals, the scary thing is, even back then (early 2000's?) the Crewe fans would sometimes talk about Dario Gradi (Crewe manager from 1983 to 2011) and his coaching staff involved in 'messing with the kids'. People knew it was going on and did feck all about it.

The club should be liable in my opinion. It happened under their watch when they should have been protecting those lads. Not allowing them to be exposed to abuse every day.
 

ZAGREB RED

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How many lives has he ruined or, at least, messed up in no small way. He deserves all he gets and more. Should be locked up and the key thrown away. Evil bastard.
 

Jazz

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I hope he never comes out for one reason or the other. Should just be life in prison with no possibility of parole.

What puzzles me is that there are cases you read about all over Europe and America, and they always tend to go 'easy' on sentencing these evil people. I can never get my head around that kind of leniency for such evil people.
 

DomesticTadpole

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I hope he never comes out for one reason or the other. Should just be life in prison with no possibility of parole.

What puzzles me is that there are cases you read about all over Europe and America, and they always tend to go 'easy' on sentencing these evil people. I can never get my head around that kind of leniency for such evil people.
It is almost like they treat them as having a sickness rather than being pure evil.
 

Jazz

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It is almost like they treat them as having a sickness rather than being pure evil.
Absolutely. Unfortunately, there are some people in high places that are also inclined that way, and do their best to protect one of their 'own'. It's a terrible mess.
Remember that horrific case in Belgium with that mad man Marc Dutroux? That blew my mind.
You've got to be so so careful as parents.
 

DomesticTadpole

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Absolutely. Unfortunately, there are some people in high places that are also inclined that way, and do their best to protect one of their 'own'. It's a terrible mess.
Remember that horrific case in Belgium with that mad man Marc Dutroux? That blew my mind.
You've got to be so so careful as parents.
It's all over the place. It is making sure that people are checked properly and hopefully kids will not be too scared to report abuse and that people will listen. Nothing is more important than children's safety. That is what I find most disgusting, that the clubs were more bothered about getting these players than doing something about the abuse and they sure as hell knew about it.
 

Jazz

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It's all over the place. It is making sure that people are checked properly and hopefully kids will not be too scared to report abuse and that people will listen. Nothing is more important than children's safety. That is what I find most disgusting, that the clubs were more bothered about getting these players than doing something about the abuse and they sure as hell knew about it.
Think they should start prosecuting those that know of abuse and do nothing. Maybe it will have some sort of impact. Human beings tend to do anything to survive, so it might get their attention if they know they'll be in jail for allowing these things to carry on.

It's incomprehensible as the ones in this case that knew what was going on had the power to not be intimidated by him, unlike say the tea lady. Yet, they didn't use that power to protect these children.
 

Cheesy

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I worked in Crewe for a little while and even went to a few home games with some of the locals, the scary thing is, even back then (early 2000's?) the Crewe fans would sometimes talk about Dario Gradi (Crewe manager from 1983 to 2011) and his coaching staff involved in 'messing with the kids'. People knew it was going on and did feck all about it.

The club should be liable in my opinion. It happened under their watch when they should have been protecting those lads. Not allowing them to be exposed to abuse every day.
Aye, obviously with a football club it's shite for fans affected insofar as they dedicate a lot of time to their clubs, but in any other walk of life an organisation which was seen to have been covering up systemic abuse at every level would likely be expected to go out of business.

Football is again inherently different to other businesses insofar as fans will give much more time and energy to it than a shop or restaurant, but from what it's emerged so far it's not just an isolated figure here but the club as a whole who have been largely complicit in this. And as a club it's their professional obligation to ensure their employees are well-looked after...and in this case those within Crewe have been wronged by people who've either heavily exploited them or enable that exploitation.
 

DomesticTadpole

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Think they should start prosecuting those that know of abuse and do nothing. Maybe it will have some sort of impact. Human beings tend to do anything to survive, so it might get their attention if they know they'll be in jail for allowing these things to carry on.

It's incomprehensible as the ones in this case that knew what was going on had the power to not be intimidated by him, unlike say the tea lady. Yet, they didn't use that power to protect these children.
I said about police checks, but they are only useful when somebody has actually been caught before. If they have been abusing but not be found out, then they will slip under the radar.
 

Tarrou

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Would be ridiculous if this cnut ever saw freedom again.

He's ruined countless lives.
 

crossy1686

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Would castration be too harsh?
They do this in America right? Chemical castration, in order to reduce the testosterone which causes sexual impulse? Could be wrong so perhaps someone who lives in America could enlighten us?

I found myself in somewhat of a dilemma today regarding the sentencing. Prison for life isn't good enough. Absolute waste of taxpayers money for a man who systemically abused vulnerable children and it doesn't help the victims. A bullet or lethal injection is just inhumane and must be very difficult for the administrator post event. So what do you do with someone who's technically a monster?

I'm generally quite liberal with these things but I don't think it's possible to educate or learn what a 'correct' sexual impulse is. It's the equivalent of telling gay folk they're choosing to be gay. Which begs the question, can he actually help himself?

Anyway, a football forum is probably the wrong place for this discussion, the internet definitely is. Bottom line is, those who have been affected should be due all the care and compensation they entitled to and Crewe Alexandra and any other club that tried to cover this up should foot the bill.
 

marktan

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I'm generally quite liberal with these things but I don't think it's possible to educate or learn what a 'correct' sexual impulse is. It's the equivalent of telling gay folk they're choosing to be gay. Which begs the question, can he actually help himself?
There was a BBC documentary a while back about a guy who spoke about how he's just naturally attracted to kids and what he does to stop himself. Haven't watched it myself but a lot of people thought it was insightful.

Always hard though sentencing serious criminals, long years in jail just seem like a waste of money but anything harsher seems inhumane.

I'm fairly sure a lot of this stuff does go undereported, for younger siblings it does keep me wary and one of the reasons I think it's good to talk to them and ask about any problems etc they're dealing with as something may come out.
 

Jippy

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Would be ridiculous if this cnut ever saw freedom again.

He's ruined countless lives.
Agreed- it was a tough watch when some of the victims were reading their statements aloud outside court after the conviction. Hats off to them for going public and taking him down, it can't have been easy.
 

Brightonian

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I'm generally quite liberal with these things but I don't think it's possible to educate or learn what a 'correct' sexual impulse is. It's the equivalent of telling gay folk they're choosing to be gay. Which begs the question, can he actually help himself?
Did you read the nature of the things he was doing? He certainly wasn't trying to fight his impulses.
 

Kag

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When you read up on this thoroughly it becomes more and more apparent that Bennell might just be one of the most prolific paedophiles in British criminal history. The sheer number of accusations (now convictions) across such a long period of time is just astonishing. Which reflects awfully on the previous safeguarding at both City and Crewe.
 

nore1975

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There is something hideous about a man who destroys the innocence of a child and who robs them of a carefree childhood. No punishment could ever match the hell he brought to the lives of those he interfered with. The scale of abuse and sheer depravity displayed by this man is shocking. Huge credit to the men who came forward. They have shown unbelievable strength to face him and see him brought to justice, or at least as much as the law permits.
 

R'hllor

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Have a chance to get out in 15? Thats soft, hope they feck him there with a cactus.
 

V.O.

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BBC News said:
Bennell was first jailed in Florida in 1994 for raping a British boy on a football tour in America, before going on to face prison sentences in Britain in 1998, 2015, 2018 and 2020.
Why the feck did he need to be caught 5 times? :houllier: