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| Football coach Bob Higgins guilty of abusing trainees | Football coach Bob Higgins guilty of abusing trainees |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| A former youth football coach has been found guilty of indecently assaulting young trainees. | A former youth football coach has been found guilty of indecently assaulting young trainees. |
| Bob Higgins sexually touched and groped 24 boys, mostly trainees at Southampton FC and Peterborough United, between 1971 and 1996. | Bob Higgins sexually touched and groped 24 boys, mostly trainees at Southampton FC and Peterborough United, between 1971 and 1996. |
| A jury at Bournemouth Crown Court found him guilty of 45 counts of indecent assault. | A jury at Bournemouth Crown Court found him guilty of 45 counts of indecent assault. |
| He was cleared of five counts of the same offence. The jury failed to reach a decision on a further count. | He was cleared of five counts of the same offence. The jury failed to reach a decision on a further count. |
| Higgins was found guilty of a further count of indecent assault after a trial last year. | Higgins was found guilty of a further count of indecent assault after a trial last year. |
| During this year's retrial, prosecutors told the court trainees "idolised" the defendant, who held "supreme power over their footballing futures". | |
| Adam Feest QC said Higgins had shown a "systematic and all-pervasive pattern of grooming behaviour" in gaining the trust of the boys and of their parents. | |
| The allegations arose after the NSPCC set up a dedicated helpline for people who had encountered childhood abuse within football. | |
| It was launched after a number of former footballers, including Billy Seymour, spoke on the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme in November 2016. | |
| Mr Seymour, a Southampton youth player who went on to play for Coventry City and Millwall, was the only alleged victim in the trial to waive his right to anonymity. | |
| He gave evidence at last year's trial but was killed in a car crash in January before he could give evidence at the retrial. | |
| Quiet sobbing from the packed public gallery became audible as guilty verdicts were returned on all six counts relating to Mr Seymour. | |
| Higgins showed no emotion as the jury returned verdicts after more than 41 hours of deliberations. | |
| Det Ch Insp Dave Brown, of Hampshire Police said his victims suffered "horrendous experiences" at the hands of a "predatory paedophile" | |
| "He thrived on controlling and manipulating his victims and knowing that he held the career prospects of many young men in his hands." he said | |
| Police believe there could be more victims, who Det Ch Insp Brown urged to come forward. | |
| Higgins is due to be sentenced at a later date. | Higgins is due to be sentenced at a later date. |