DAVID Lean was just 12 years old when he was groomed at a Butlin’s holiday camp by paedophile Barry Bennell.
Using his trusted position as a youth football coach, the shameless predator was able to convince the boy’s oblivious parents to let him stay at his house, where he sexually abused multiple victims.
Bennell’s horrific crimes – revisited in the BBC drama Floodlights this week – were among the most shocking revelations of the recent child abuse scandal that has blighted the beautiful game.
But despite a slew of safeguarding efforts set up in its wake, victims have warned that abuse is still rampant even today – and that the scandal extends far beyond one sport.
“We are kidding ourselves if we think it is not going on today,” David tells The Sun. “It’s much bigger than football – it’s leisure, it’s sport, it’s every activity where predators can get access to children.
“Coaches are the most trusted people and they have the key to your door.
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“Parents, still to this day, presume everything is safe – and that scares me.”
The Sun can reveal that a number of former Premier League stars have now come forward to say they were sexually abused by football coaches when they were children.
The players are part of an almost 100-strong group of ex-professionals and amateurs that are receiving free support and counselling from the Survivors Support Advocate (SSA) service, an FA-backed group.
Most of those brave enough to speak out were molested by trusted coaches that promised to turn them into elite-level stars as they groomed them from an early age.
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A football insider said: “The players that have come forward wish to remain anonymous for now, but a few of them did play in the Premier League.
“They have not reported the abuse to the police but might decide to do so at some point in the future.
“These men experienced unimaginable suffering and pain and the system completely let them down in failing to protect them when they were children.”
Monster abused boys with impunity
Our report comes as the BBC’s new drama tells the true story of survivor Andy Woodward, who was repeatedly abused by predatory football coach Barry Bennell.
Floodlights, which aired on BBC2 this week, shows how in 2016 Woodward bravely waived his right to anonymity to make sure Bennell was put back behind bars.
The paedophile, now 58, worked as a youth coach at Crewe Alexandra and as a scout for Man City. He was able to abuse boys with impunity despite officials at both clubs apparently having suspicions about his behaviour.
The case prompted a huge number of survivors to come forward and Bennell, then living in Milton Keynes, was given a 31-year sentence in 2018 for abusing 12 boys between 1979 and 1991.
By the end of 2019, 15 men had been charged with historical sexual abuse offences including George Ormond, a former Newcastle United youth coach and scout, and former Southampton and Peterborough coach Bob Higgins.
A talented footballer who went on to play for Preston North End’s reserve team, David Lean was targeted by Bennell at a Butlin's holiday camp in Pwllheli, northwest Wales at the age of 12.
He first reported what happened in 2013. However, the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to pursue the case, stating it was not in the public interest.
It was only when he appealed the decision to the Child Sexual Abuse Review Panel that Bennell was charged and sentenced to two years in jail in 2015. He ended up serving just 12 months.
David later secured a a five-figure settlement from the former owners of Butlin's.
The 54-year-old, from Preston, Lancashire, now helps support other survivors and is training to be a counsellor.
He said: “Butlins gave Bennell the opportunity to meet children but, more importantly, to meet their parents. That is a key issue.
“We are talking about football, but it could be the scouts or a music club.
“It’s about a predator finding an opportunity to groom a child and build a relationship with their mum and dad at a time when they have their dream in their hands.
“All I ever wanted to do was play football and be a footballer. It was everything in my life and I didn’t even have pushy parents.
“Bennell was very good at what he did. He was charismatic and heterosexual, sporty and manly and he was great with parents, as many of these people are."
“Do I believe that to this day offenders are able to infiltrate grassroots football clubs? Absolutely and that is why I am here.
No-one ever checks child policies or says, ‘Before I leave my child with you for a full week or soccer camp, can I just check your policies?’ It doesn’t happen at all.”
FA 'could and should' have done more
Last year, the 700-page, four-year Sheldon review of the child abuse scandal was finally released and found there were "at least 240 suspects and 692 survivors" with the actual number "likely to be far higher."
It went on to state that the FA "could and should have done more to keep children safe."
The SSA, which is also backed by the PFA, was set up in 2019 to help survivors access therapy and legal and financial support and is headed by Ian Ackley, who was abused by Bennell from 1979 to 1983.
Ackley revealed: “Of the 99 people we are helping, there’s probably a fairly even split between grassroots and professional players.
“We are also supporting coaches and referees, so abuse has been pretty much everywhere in the game.
“A huge amount has changed since 2016 but more still needs to be done to protect children.
“Sexual abusers are often highly intelligent and manipulative people and too often it’s only the less intelligent ones that get caught.
“How many coaches do you see getting convicted of sexual abuse? It’s quite regular.
“Whether it’s a Premier League club or a semi-professional one, the issues are the same and the latest research shows that the more acute abuse happens the higher you go in the elite game.”
Pervert groomed kids over Snapchat & bribed them with FIFA points
Former Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool midfielder Paul Stewart is another one that has bravely spoken out about the abuse he suffered as a child.
He was molested by football coach Frank Roper and now gives safeguarding sessions at EFL academies.
Today, every club is obliged to have a head of safeguarding to protect youngsters from predators – but cases still arise.
Earlier this year, Hampshire football coach Alfie Morel, 24, was found guilty of eight offences against children and jailed for 15 years.
The court heard he used social media apps like Snapchat to groom “football mad” boys over eight months in 2020 and 2021, while one boy revealed he had bribed him with Fifa football video games points.
Ex footie star Paul, 57, said: “Elite football has made giant strides in terms of safeguarding but they can afford to do it. My concern is with grassroots.
“I think grassroots became a breeding ground for predators because they were dream makers, weren’t they?
“This grooming process was all about telling the parents how much they could help their child become a footballer.
“The rewards are massive if you go on to play in the Premier League or one of the top clubs in the EFL, so these people use that as a leverage to perpetrate the abuse.
“In the sessions I deliver, I refer to that because we have this misconception that these people go after the weak and vulnerable and prey upon them – but I was none of the above.
“I’m a big strapping lad – 6ft odd – and even my friends were saying, ‘We couldn’t believe it when you came forward.’
“If clubs have the right policies and procedures then these people will not be able to operate."
Paul believes that safeguarding is a "parental thing first and foremost", but that the right questions need to be asked.
“If parents are leaving their children at organisations or sports clubs, they should be asking some simple questions – do you have a safeguarding policy?
“Is it easily accessible? Who do I speak to if I have an issue and how is it reported?
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“If an organisation is hesitant to give you those answers, then don’t leave your child there because there’s obviously something that isn’t quite right.
“All clubs should have that in place. Parents won’t ask these simple questions yet they’re leaving their most prized possessions with these organisations and assuming they will be fine – in most cases they will be but in some they will not.”
The Survivor Support Advocate gives survivors access therapy and legal and financial support. David shared his story to encourage others with similar experiences to seek help and support, and to raise awareness of the NSPCC's work.
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