Anthony Pickering: Sex assault coach jailed for further abuse

An image of Anthony Pickering from 1982 was shown to jurors during the trial earlier this year

A paedophile jailed for abusing boys while helping coach a football team has been handed a further prison sentence after more abuse came to light.

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

The two male and two female victims came forward following Pickering's 2018 conviction for similar crimes.

He was handed a life sentence with a minimum seven-year term.

Pickering, 58, formerly of Claife Avenue in Windermere, had denied all charges of indecent assault and serious sex assault - some of which would now be classed as rapes - when the case was heard in July.

However, the ex-Army serviceman was convicted unanimously following a trial.

'Dangerous man'

One man told police he was abused for the first time when he was six or seven years old.

On one occasion he was assaulted in a rural location Pickering had taken him to under the pretence of teaching him survival skills.

Another attack occurred after a junior football club training session in Windermere.

In victim impact statements, one woman described suffering nightmares after reliving her trauma in court while the other male victim said he was left "angry and frustrated".

Judge Andrew Jefferies QC told Pickering he was a "dangerous man" who carried out "a campaign of rape and sexual offending".

He received a five-year jail term in 2018 after being convicted of crimes against seven young footballers in the Windermere area during the 1970s and 1980s with the sentence increased to nine years at the Court of Appeal.

Pickering was already serving a 10-year sentence for sexually assaulting a girl in West Yorkshire and had previously been convicted of indecently assaulting two boys in Germany during the 1990s while serving with the Army.