Club statement regarding Barry Bennell's conviction

[OB1]

Taking the piss out of Munich is bad enough, but kids? Can you really see fans doing this & not getting slaughtered? There will always be one, but can you really see huge swathes of away fans doing this?

I suppose we'll all find out on Monday...

I hope that other supporters have enough dignity not to resort to jibes about this but I'm not totally confident that we will never hear something.

 

[OB1]

Having watched that Dispatches documentary one thing (inter alia) that struck me was that in the 70’s, 80’s and even the early 90’s, how much more innocent our society was; Ken Barnes perhaps being the most extreme example of this. This was an environment that predators such as Bennell exploited and thrived in; so that loss of innocence could be viewed as a necessary evil, but it’s hard not to be sad about the prevailing atmosphere of suspicion and cynicism that overwhelms modern society. Inevitable perhaps, but sad nonetheless.

Child sex abuse is probably the most selfish of crimes and I’m certain Bennell’s sentence, quite rightly, will be over 20 years, if not life. He’s just as much a sociopath as Harold Shipman or Fred West were.

I’m equally sure the club will do the right thing.

I don't know what the sentencing guidelines are but I sincerely hope that the judge is allowed to give a life sentence and does just that. Life without parole is the only suitable sentence.

 

[nw42]

I hope that other supporters have enough dignity not to resort to jibes about this but I'm not totally confident that we will never hear something.

I think it's nailed on, starting Monday night, we'll just have to soak it up like Boro fans have had to do for years now.

 

[br88]

I just hope the victims gain some closure when on Monday the scum gets banged up for good. Hope he rots in hell.

Looks like there could be well be more cases in the future involving other clubs. For example, just saw this article...... https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...e-ormond-charged-child-sexual-abuse-newcastle

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

I hope that other supporters have enough dignity not to resort to jibes about this but I'm not totally confident that we will never hear something.

You mean like how City fans targeted Middlesbrough fans after the Cleveland sex abuse scandal years ago? If it happens it happens.

 

[caseball]

Not so sure about this, Bennell is a mass rapist, just because he didn't need the thrill of the kill doesn't make him less of a sick bastard than the other 2 mentioned.

Totally different kinds of sick bastards.They sought to hide their crime and conceal the results of it because they knew the severity of the punishment. Society is pretty unambiguous about murder. Bennell almost flaunted his crimes and showed off his victims. The taking of life is, apparently, the pinnacle of sin but lots of people feel more revulsion for Bennell's type of crime. Maybe we can see ourselves murdering someone someday but not doing the other. He's clearly a rather clever and perhaps gifted individual. He probably found it easy to make dupes out of people he came into contact with in his work. A lot of people may well have liked him and his extrovert lifestyle. It's a great cover. The opposite of the common perception of a paedophile. In certain other epochs his activities might not have been considered wrong. However, if he'd killed one of the boys, he'd have been toast pretty quick. The problem of course is how we protect ourselves from weirdos like this without making life a bit less happy for everyone.

 

[Dribble]

You seem to indicate taking the piss out of abused kids is worse than taking the piss put of people killed in a plane crash. Or did I misinterpret?

As any parent will tell you, anything to do with kids is the worst, but that's not to say Munich wasn't an utter tragedy.

I want to live a long, healthy & happy life, but I'd give ny life in a heartbeat for my children, which is why I find things to do with our young ones, so hard to bear.

 

[Dribble]

I didn't know and was not going to guess.

I am interested to know the facts regarding his "connection" to City.

His connection to City is the secondary fact I was desperate to ascertain behind the damage he caused to his victims. We now know City used his club as a feeder club & he was probably paid a finders fee based on the results of him finding us a stream of potential first team players & that was the extent of our legal links with him.

However, it seems he was held in such high esteem at the club, that he was given free rein to come & go as he pleased & to use our club's stature to lure the best talent to us, ahead of ManUre, Liverpool, Everton, Leeds ect.

What is now clear to me is even though City only had an informal, mutually beneficial, business relationship with him, it seems there were clear concerns about him from early on, but some at our club seemingly thought the risk to our kids, outweighed the benefits of us finding the next superstar locally.

If they're still alive, we need to find those who turned a blind eye or actively covered up this abuse & ensure they are dealt with to the fullest extent by the authorities.

 

[Dribble]

I hope that other supporters have enough dignity not to resort to jibes about this but I'm not totally confident that we will never hear something.

The fact so many clubs are now being looked at, may be a major factor to how most fans react to this issue. Regardless, I just hope this heinous atrocity transcends all football rivalry... We can only live in hope..

 

[blueju]

I think it's nailed on, starting Monday night, we'll just have to soak it up like Boro fans have had to do for years now.

I can't see it, this is just the tip of the iceberg all around the country

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

I don't know what the sentencing guidelines are but I sincerely hope that the judge is allowed to give a life sentence and does just that. Life without parole is the only suitable sentence.

The maximum sentence for rape is life, but I don’t think the Judge has the power to impose life without the possibility of parole for anything other than a limited number of types of murder. It’s a moot point, as it's doubtful he will ever be released. By all accounts he’s not at all well. It’s extremely unusual for a defendant to be allowed to ‘attend’ their trial via videolink. Given the profile of the case, it’s doubtful this would have happened without some fairly forceful explanatory medical evidence.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

West raped, tortured and murdered his own daughter, before burying her under the patio. A patio which was situated under the dungeon where he"d allowed his wife to watch the rape and torture of her own daughter. Shipman murdered people on what the police called, "an industrial scale". Both are light years ahead of Bennell in terms of sociopathic tendencies. Light years.

Bennell arguably displayed more of the classic signs of being a sociopath than West, in particular, who was of below average intelligence (by all accounts Bennell was very bright) and (to many) somewhat charmless (unlike Bennell). West’s blunt MO mainly centred around ensnaring people, raping and torturing them, then killing them and burying their remains within his property. Bennell’s repertoire required a great deal more craft and charm, including towards the parents of his victims, something he clearly excelled at. He was much more manipulative than West, which enabled him to carry out his crimes in the manner he did and (crucially) retain such an enduring degree of control over his victims and his enablers. Just because someone doesn’t have muderous tendencies (or manages to suppress them for reasons of expediency) it doesn’t necessarily make them less of a sociopath. Bennell has displayed (and seemingly continues to display) an acute and pathological lack of empathy towards his victims, so I stand by my original assertion and would say that you somewhat misapprehend what constitutes (or can constitute) a sociopath.

 

[caseball]

The one thing that nobody dares to say (Steve Fleet touched on it I think) is that a child's safety is also the responsibility of the parents. But that wouldn't sell papers. You pretty much have to send your kids to some school or other but sending a kid off to learn football with a stranger who says he's got contacts at City or wherever isn't compulsory. Callous to say it, I know, but it's still the truth.

 

[M18CTID]

I watched the Dispatches documentary yesterday. I had no issue with the way they referenced City throughout (and the woman who made it and the earlier one 20 years ago should be applauded for her efforts) apart from that bloke - I think he was a lawyer - who said “City still don’t get it” in respect of the club saying they can’t comment fully until a later date, implying that we might be shying away from our responsibilities. That annoyed me because I thought the club statement released last week was bang on the money and showed complete empathy for all the victims, encouraged anyone else who might’ve been abused to come forward, and - through the club’s ongoing investigation - identified another possible paedophile who had links to the club. It’s only for legal reasons that the club can’t say any more than that at this time but what they did say was akin to a warts-and-all update on their own investigation, and as far removed from a cover-up as you can get.

In contrast, the impression I got was that Crewe aren’t currently handling this very well at all and seem reluctant to fully investigate what’s gone on at their own club, although I could be wrong on that and the documentary might’ve misrepresented their position somewhat.

Anyway, as others have said this goes way beyond City and Crewe and will stretch to many other clubs. The FA have a lot to answer for as well.

 

[Pablo ZZZ Peroni]

I watched the Dispatches documentary yesterday. I had no issue with the way they referenced City throughout (and the woman who made it and the earlier one 20 years ago should be applauded for her efforts) apart from that bloke - I think he was a lawyer - who said “City still don’t get it” in respect of the club saying they can’t comment fully until a later date, implying that we might be shying away from our responsibilities. That annoyed me because I thought the club statement released last week was bang on the money and showed complete empathy for all the victims, encouraged anyone else who might’ve been abused to come forward, and - through the club’s ongoing investigation - identified another possible paedophile who had links to the club. It’s only for legal reasons that the club can’t say any more than that at this time but what they did say was akin to a warts-and-all update on their own investigation, and as far removed from a cover-up as you can get.

In contrast, the impression I got was that Crewe aren’t currently handling this very well at all and seem reluctant to fully investigate what’s gone on at their own club, although I could be wrong on that and the documentary might’ve misrepresented their position somewhat.

Anyway, as others have said this goes way beyond City and Crewe and will stretch to many other clubs. The FA have a lot to answer for as well.

Ollie Holt agrees with you about Crewe:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5404321/How-regime-charge-Crewe.html

 

[The blue phantom]

I think it's nailed on, starting Monday night, we'll just have to soak it up like Boro fans have had to do for years now.

Yep. Its near certain it will be sang at every game against us. Sky/Bt won't want their listeners hearing it.

 

[Hart of the Matter]

City knew about his conviction in the 90s. Why did they not investigate his connections to the club at that point rather than leave it another 20 years? This for me is a key question and brings accountability much closer to home with people who may still be at the club. Was it even discussed?

 

[geoff clipp]

The one thing that nobody dares to say (Steve Fleet touched on it I think) is that a child's safety is also the responsibility of the parents. But that wouldn't sell papers. You pretty much have to send your kids to some school or other but sending a kid off to learn football with a stranger who says he's got contacts at City or wherever isn't compulsory. Callous to say it, I know, but it's still the truth.

This is the stupidest thing I've ever read.

 

[squirtyflower]

City knew about his conviction in the 90s. Why did they not investigate his connections to the club at that point rather than leave it another 20 years? This for me is a key question and brings accountability much closer to home with people who may still be at the club. Was it even discussed?

Errr, maybe because he'd been convicted in the States and there were no complaints at that time to research in the UK, but don't let facts get in the way.

 

[west didsblue]

I watched the Dispatches documentary yesterday. I had no issue with the way they referenced City throughout (and the woman who made it and the earlier one 20 years ago should be applauded for her efforts) apart from that bloke - I think he was a lawyer - who said “City still don’t get it” in respect of the club saying they can’t comment fully until a later date, implying that we might be shying away from our responsibilities. That annoyed me because I thought the club statement released last week was bang on the money and showed complete empathy for all the victims, encouraged anyone else who might’ve been abused to come forward, and - through the club’s ongoing investigation - identified another possible paedophile who had links to the club. It’s only for legal reasons that the club can’t say any more than that at this time but what they did say was akin to a warts-and-all update on their own investigation, and as far removed from a cover-up as you can get.

In contrast, the impression I got was that Crewe aren’t currently handling this very well at all and seem reluctant to fully investigate what’s gone on at their own club, although I could be wrong on that and the documentary might’ve misrepresented their position somewhat.

Anyway, as others have said this goes way beyond City and Crewe and will stretch to many other clubs. The FA have a lot to answer for as well.

That solicitor is representing some of the abused players and he’s trying to maximise any potential payout by casting aspersions on City’s investigation and current motives. It seems clear from outside that the club is doing everything it can to get to the bottom of what went on but it’s not in that solicitor’s interest to admit that.