'Malignant' coach guilty of 57 child sex offences

William Woods, 67, was found guilty by a jury after an eight-week trial

A former football coach has been found guilty of dozens of child sex offences against eight children over a 30-year period.

William Woods, 67, was convicted of 57 offences on Tuesday including attempted rape, inciting children to commit acts of gross indecency and inciting boys to engage in sexual activity between 1976 and 2006.

An eight-week trial at Chester Crown Court heard how Woods, of Lawton Street in Congleton, Cheshire, used his influence over the children to isolate them from loved ones and abuse them.

He would bring multiple children together at his home to "act out his warped sexual fantasies" by encouraging them to abuse one another, the court was told.

The jury also heard how Woods physically abused his victims, locking them in cupboards and burning them with cigarettes or a pan.

The offences were committed across Crewe and Northwich between 1976 and 2006 but Woods' crimes did not come to light until Cheshire Police were approached by one of his victims in 2018.

'Warped sexual fantasies'

He was arrested in 2022 but denied committing any abuse, claiming he had never met any of the victims and accusing them of lying.

PC Emma Hughes, who oversaw the investigation, described Woods as a "malignant and opportunistic sexual predator" who abused the trust he had built up in the community, coaching a local football team.

She said: Woods used the trust placed in him to "abuse the young people in his care, isolate them from their families and force them to act out his warped sexual fantasies over a period of 30 years".

'Prolific, serial paedophile'

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it had been one of the biggest child sex abuse cases in its Mersey-Cheshire area due to the volume of offending and number of victims.

Sarah Egan, crown advocate at the CPS, said: "He [Woods] is a prolific, serial paedophile who brought misery and suffering to these victims at various points over a 30-year period, via a campaign of grooming, duress and abuse.

"The extent of the damage that he has caused knows no bounds. It is a testament to the character and strength of these victims that we are here today; that convictions have been secured, and justice has been served."

Woods is due to be sentenced at Chester Crown Court on 15 August.