Sex assault football coach guilty of further offences

The jury was shown an image of Pickering taken in 1982

An "indiscriminate" paedophile jailed for abusing young boys while a Lake District football team coach has been convicted of further historical crimes.

Anthony Pickering was found guilty at Carlisle Crown Court of 16 sexual offences against four children during the 1970s and 80s.

The 58-year-old will be sentenced on 17 September.

The victims, two males and two females, came forward following publicity when he was jailed for sex offences in 2018.

At that time, Pickering, previously of Claife Avenue, Windermere, was sentenced to five years after being convicted of molesting seven young players during the 1970s and early 80s.

That was later increased to nine years at the Court of Appeal after a referral by the Solicitor General, who spoke of Pickering carrying out "horrific sexual assaults" which had "robbed multiple victims of their childhood".

Pickering was already serving a 10-year prison term he had received in 2012 for sexually assaulting a young girl in West Yorkshire.

It also emerged he was convicted of indecently assaulting two boys by a general court martial in Germany during the 1990s while serving with the Army.

'Alarm bells'

Opening his recent trail, prosecutor Michael Maher told the jury: "We say he was indiscriminate so far as his sexual gratification was concerned.

"Boys or girls. It didn't matter to him."

One of the four victims said Pickering had abused him on multiple occasions, the first time when he was aged just six or seven.

Following the guilty verdict, Judge Andrew Jefferies QC said he needed time to consider what would be a "complicated" sentencing exercise given sentences the defendant had received in the past and was still serving.

He was also "duty bound" to ask the probation service to provide an assessment of the level of risk he poses to the public, which could see additional restrictions placed on when he is released from custody.

Judge Jefferies said: "Anybody who behaves in this way towards children over a number of years sets the alarm bells ringing."