Barry Bennell: ex-coach showed 'no remorse' for abuse

Barry Bennell has not shown any remorse for sexually abusing young boys while he was a youth football coach, one of his alleged victims has told his trial.

He said that although Mr Bennell has admitted some of the charges against him, "he's never given one apology".

Mr Bennell admitted 20 charges of abuse against the former youth footballer in 1997 but his alleged victim now claims the abuse happened more than 100 times.

Mr Bennell denies offences against 11 complainants between 1979 and 1990.

The alleged victim told Liverpool Crown Court that Mr Bennell, now known as Richard Jones, had forced him to perform oral sex and had raped him on seven to 10 occasions.

He said he was abused at Mr Bennell's home, with other boys downstairs, as well as on football trips.

The court heard that the 64-year-old entered guilty pleas to charges of abuse against the former youth football player in 1997, but denies more serious allegations against him.

'Worst time in my life'

"Him, smirking on that screen, denying everything. He's shown no remorse, ever.

"Even the stuff he has admitted to, he's never given one apology and he still sits there," the complainant said.

The court heard that in 1997 the alleged victim made a statement to the police in which he said he had been abused by Bennell on about 20 occasions.

He said: "For 20 minutes I denied everything. Then the policeman went out of the room and I just said to myself 'This is your chance', because I had been carrying it round for 10 years.

"So I gave my statement about some abuse but, to be honest, I just wanted to get out of there."

Mr Bennell's defence lawyer, Eleanor Laws QC, suggested that the 1997 allegations covered the extent of the abuse.

To this, the alleged victim replied: "Unless you've been raped multiple times and been abused God knows how many times, you really can't stand up there and tell me what I'm thinking or feeling."

Speaking about what happened after the assault, he said: "He just got up and started laughing at me.

"I had to go downstairs as if nothing had happened to me and it was the worst time in my life."