Ex-football coach Barry Bennell faces 55 allegations of child sex abuse

Ex-football coach Barry Bennell has been charged with further allegations of historical child sex abuse following an investigation by Cheshire Constabulary. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Mr Bennell, 63, has been accused of 14 more counts. Four complainants aged between 11 and 14 at the time of the alleged offences are the subject of the latest charges, which include indecent assault and buggery, the CPS said. The accusations are four counts of indecent assault on a boy aged 11 to 14, four counts of indecent assault on a boy aged 11 to 12 and two counts of indecent assault on a boy aged 11 to 13. Mr Bennell is also charged with four counts of buggery on a boy aged 11 to 14. He now faces 55 alleged offences, dating between 1979 and 1991, against eight male complainants. Mr Bennell, currently on remand in custody, will appear via video link at South Cheshire Magistrates’ Court on June 28, in relation to the charges. The former Crewe Alexandra, Manchester City and Stoke City coach has previously denied the accusations at a succession of hearings. Last month he appeared before Crewe Magistrates’ Court, where a further 21 child sex offences were put to him on top of the 20 for which he was already awaiting trial. He did not enter a plea to the new charges. They were 18 counts of indecent assault, two counts of buggery and one count of attempted buggery against four boys, aged between 10 and 14, between December 1983 and November 1991. All the alleged offences are said to have taken place either in Crewe, Derbyshire “or elsewhere”, according to court papers. At the May hearing, the charges were requested to be joined up with earlier ones – 14 counts of indecent assault, five counts of buggery and one count of attempted buggery, all to be jointly heard at a further hearing later this year when all 41 charges, involving eight boys in all, will be dealt with Chair of the bench Margaret Smith remanded Bennell into custody for a further hearing at Liverpool Crown Court on July 3.