Paedophile football coach Barry Bennell raped and assaulted at least 115 young boys in his care it emerged yesterday, as he faced spending the rest of his life behind bars.

Bennell was convicted of a total of 43 counts of child sex abuse against 11 victims after a jury at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday found him guilty of seven more counts.

Before the trial started he had pleaded guilty to seven counts of indecent assault involving a 12th boy.

It is now understood that 86 new victims have come forward since the start of the latest investigation.

Victims groups have urged police to bring a new set of prosecutions against Bennell to ensure all those who suffered at his hands receive justice.

During the trial Bennell, who worked for a string of clubs, including Stoke City, Crewe Alexander and Manchester City, was described as a “child molester on an industrial scale", who used the promise of making children football stars to groom them and then stop them speaking out.

Several of his victims are now preparing to sue clubs where the youth coach worked for what could be millions of pounds in compensation.

The 64-year-old had previously been sentenced to nine years in prison after pleading guilty to 23 counts of sex abuse against 15 children aged nine to 14 between 1978 and 1992.