Ex-football coach guilty of further sexual abuse

Anthony Pickering was previously convicted in 2018 and 2020

A former football coach already in jail for sexually abusing junior players has been convicted of molesting another youngster at the same club more than four decades ago.

Anthony Pickering, now 62, had assaulted the boy "in a variety of ways", a trial at Carlisle Crown Court heard.

The victim contacted police in 2020 after seeing publicity surrounding one of Pickering's previous court cases.

Pickering, who denied two charges of indecent assault and one involving an attempted serious sexual assault, will be sentenced on 17 April.

The ex-Army serviceman, previously of Claife Avenue, Windermere, was given a five-year jail term in 2018 after being found guilty of crimes against seven youngsters during the 1970s.

That sentence was increased to nine years at the Court of Appeal with the Solicitor General concluding Pickering had “robbed multiple victims of their childhood”.

In 2020, he was then given a life sentence and ordered to serve a minimum of seven years after being convicted of abuse described by a prosecutor as “indiscriminate".

'Sobbing his heart out'

The jury in his latest trial heard Pickering molested the child - who was of primary school age at the time - on “numerous occasions”, leaving the boy feeling “dirty and broken and angry”.

The court was told the offences happened while Pickering was in his late teens or very early 20s while helping with football training.

In evidence, he denied any wrongdoing as he had throughout all court proceedings.

Prosecutor Tim Evans told the court that the victim had made disclosures while “sobbing his heart out” in front of relatives.

“Blame Tony Pickering for this because he has been in my head,” the man had told family members.

“I always tried to stop it,” he added.

He said Pickering "used to say ‘it is a secret, don’t tell anybody’."

Pickering remains in custody.