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Former Football Coach William Woods Convicted of 57 Child Sex Offences

He will be sentenced on August 15 following an eight-week trial that detailed how he abused his position in Cheshire youth football

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Overview

  • Jurors at Chester Crown Court convicted the 67-year-old coach on 57 counts of child sex offences including inciting children under 14 to commit gross indecency and attempted rape
  • Police investigation launched in 2018 uncovered eight victims of abuse dating from 1976 to 2006 across Crewe and Northwich
  • Woods exploited his role as a youth football coach to win families’ trust before isolating children for sexual and physical abuse
  • Evidence at trial described how he locked a victim in a cupboard, burned children with cigarettes and a cooking pan, and encouraged them to abuse each other
  • He has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced at Chester Crown Court on August 15