Liverpool karate coach found guilty of sexual assaults on boys

Andrew Sherry has been found guilty of sexually abusing former karate students

A karate champion once regarded as a "hero" by his students has been found guilty of sexual assaulting teenage boys.

Andrew Sherry, a founder of the Karate Union of Great Britain (KUGB), was accused of indecently assaulting a boy under the age of 16 in the mid-1980s.

He also faced four counts of sexual assault of a boy in 2011 or 2012.

A jury at Liverpool Crown Court was unanimous in finding the 80-year-old guilty of all five counts.

His trial also heard he had allegedly propositioned two other male students in the 1990s.

'Special favours'

The jury was told Sherry, a ninth dan black belt who founded the Red Triangle karate club in Everton, Liverpool, had achieved "prominence and standing" in the sport.

He retired in March 2022 after a police investigation was launched.

During the trial, his defence barrister said Sherry had been a victim of a conspiracy by other practitioners who wanted to "overthrow their leader".

One complainant said he had given up a promising career in karate as a result of Sherry, who he said asked him for "special favours" when he was aged between 12 and 16, in the mid-1980s.

He said Sherry had wrestled with him while at his bungalow in West Derby, Liverpool, and he could tell Sherry was "aroused".

His instructor had then taken him to Knowsley Safari Park where he spoke about monkeys having sex, he said.

The man, who said he was groomed by Sherry, told the court: "He said, 'I'll give you money, you'll come to all the sporting events with me, you'll stay with me, you won't want for nothing, any clothes you want, anything you want.

'I'll teach you how to become the best'."

Under cross-examination by Tania Griffiths KC, defending Sherry, the witness denied his aim was to "bring down the KUGB" and that he was working in collusion with others.

The second complainant, who was 18 at the time of the assaults, said Sherry massaged him on the buttocks and kissed him on the lips on more than one occasion.

He described Sherry asking if he could "hold" him and putting his arms around him.

The man said: "I accepted this because Andrew Sherry was my instructor and it was a case of if he said 'jump', I said 'how high?'"

He also said on one occasion Sherry asked if he wanted to join him in the bedroom and was "visibly disappointed" when they did not have sex.

Two other men, who Sherry was not charged with offences against, claimed he had propositioned them in the 1990s.

One of them told the court: "He was an inspirational teacher to me. He was my hero."

Sherry was granted bail as he was told he will be sentenced on 1 May.

Adjourning the case for a pre-sentence report, Judge David Swinnerton told him: "I have heard quite a lot about your karate career but I need to get more background information about you."