Pedophile former football coach dies in UK prison

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) – Pedophile former football coach Barry Bennell has died in prison in the UK, according to media reports on Monday.

The 69-year-old former football coach, convicted of dozens of sexual offenses in 2018, had been serving a 34-year sentence at Littlehey Prison, Cambridgeshire.

Bennell reportedly had cancer, said reports, citing the Ministry of Justice.

He was found guilty on 50 counts of child sexual abuse between 1979 and 1991 during his work as a youth team coach in Manchester City and Crewe Alexandra clubs.

In October 2020, he was jailed for another four years after pleading guilty to nine sexual offenses.

Bennell was first jailed in Florida in 1994 for raping a British boy on a football tour in America.

He was described by the prosecution as an "industrial-scale child molester" and a "predatory and determined pedophile," during his 5-week trial in 2018.