Football abuse scandal: NSPCC helpline flooded with 860 calls
Charity receives calls about historical sex assaults allegedly suffered by youth team footballers
A special NSPCC helpline has been inundated with calls from people claiming they were victims of child sex abuse while playing football.
The charity says the telephone hotline 0800 023 2642 received 860 calls in its first week.
Operators referred 60 complainants to the police or children's services in the first three days alone - around three times the number made at the start of the Jimmy Savile scandal.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The NSPCC's John Brown said it would be naive to assume the abuse was all over and that there was not "an ongoing problem in football and sport generally".
In other developments:
David Eatock speaks out
Former Newcastle United player David Eatock, now 40, told the BBC yesterday he was abused between the ages of 18 and 21 by coach George Ormond. Ormond was convicted in 2002 of assaulting seven boys - not Eatock - and was jailed for six years.
Eatock, who has now lodged a complaint against Ormond with the police, said the abuse had left him a "shell" of his former self.
Ormond had "preyed" on him because his father's bowel cancer had left him vulnerable, he said, adding: "I was an adult but really just a boy."
Bell 'wanted to kill abuser'
Derek Bell, another former Newcastle player, has said he "wanted to kill" Ormond, who abused him between the ages of 12 and 16 at Montagu & North Fenham boys football club in the 1970s, the Daily Express reports.
Bell, who worked with police to bring the conviction against Ormond, told the BBC how he had encountered the coach again as an adult.
"I went to his house with a 12-inch knife hidden in my pocket and I kicked his door in. Luckily for him, that evening, he wasn't in," he said. "I went round his house and he wasn't there."
Eric Bristow sorry for offensive tweets
Darts player Eric Bristow yesterday apologised for his tweets about abused football players, in which he called the victims "wimps" and suggested they should, as adults, attack their abusers. He was dropped as a Sky Sports pundit soon after he made the remarks.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, Bristow said he had mis-spoken and wanted to encourage abuse victims to report crimes.
"I apologise it was mis-worded," he said. "They are not wimps. They have been abused since young kids. I accept calling them wimps is deeply offensive."
Bristow said he had been vilified for his remarks. He did not apologise for using the derogatory word "poof".
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - November 2, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - anti-fascism, early voter turnout, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Geoff Capes obituary: shot-putter who became the World’s Strongest Man
In the Spotlight The 'mighty figure' was a two-time Commonwealth Champion and world-record holder
By The Week UK Published
-
Israel attacks Iran: a 'limited' retaliation
Talking Point Iran's humiliated leaders must decide how to respond to Netanyahu's measured strike
By The Week UK Published
-
Mason Greenwood: footballer arrested on suspicion of rape and assault
Speed Read Man Utd confirm the striker will not train or play until further notice
By The Week Staff Published
-
Handball: swapping bikini bottoms for tight pants
Speed Read Women competitors will be required to ‘wear short tight pants with a close fit’
By The Week Staff Published
-
Cristiano Ronaldo’s second coming
Speed Read Last week, Manchester United re-signed the forward on a two-year deal thought to be worth more than £400,000 a week
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Bank holidays and boycotts: are MPs trying to jinx England?
Speed Read Declaring a bank holiday would be ‘tempting fate’, says Boris Johnson
By The Week Staff Published
-
Weightlifting: Olympic Games set for transgender first
Speed Read New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard will make history at Tokyo 2020
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sport shorts: Champions League expansion plan to be agreed
Speed Read News and reactions from the world of sport, featuring Joachim Low and the Lions women’s team
By Mike Starling Published
-
Sport shorts: Sturgeon slams Rangers fans over title celebrations
Speed Read News and reactions from the world of sport, featuring Keely Hodgkinson and Bryson DeChambeau
By Mike Starling Published
-
Sport shorts: Klopp’s unwanted record as Liverpool lose again at Anfield
Speed Read News and reactions from the world of sport, featuring Tiger Woods and Tom Brady
By Mike Starling Published