Barry Bennell to appeal against 31-year sentence for abuse

Ex-football coach Barry Bennell is to appeal against his 31-year sentence for child sexual abuse.

The former Crewe Alexandra youth coach was convicted in February of 50 counts of indecent assault against 12 boys between 1979 and 1991.

He was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court but has now applied to the Court of Appeal to have the term reduced.

The 64-year-old is due to serve 15 years of his sentence in custody, with the rest on licence.

• Who is Barry Bennell?

• 'Devil incarnate' abuser jailed for 31 years

• 'He took my innocence and my career'

Handing down the sentence, Judge Clement Goldstone described Bennell as the "devil incarnate".

Bennell's lawyer, Eleanor Laws, had argued at the time of the sentencing that poor health "means his time in custody will be less comfortable and more difficult than it would be for someone without all these concerns".

She said he had suffered from cancer in the past and had operations to remove tumours from his tongue but was presently cancer free.

She also said he was on anti-anxiety medication.

Bennell appeared via video-link throughout the five-week trial due to his illness, but was ordered to attend the court for the sentencing.

He was previously convicted of of child abuse on three occasions. He received jail sentences in the US in 1995 and the UK in 1998 and 2015.