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Serial paedophile Barry Bennell has been convicted of abusing more young footballers after grooming them with claims that he could fulfil their dreams of a career in the sport.

The 64-year-old, who has previously received three jail sentences for similar offences, was found guilty at Liverpool Crown Court of 43 counts of child sexual abuse against 11 victims.

It is understood the total number of victims assaulted by Bennell could exceed 100 after 86 more people came forward to report abuse following publicity about the case.

A cheer of "yes" came from the public gallery where six complainants sat with family members as the final verdicts were read out and some people were in tears.

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Bennell, who appeared via videolink from prison, could be seen shaking his head at times and muttering when the final guilty verdicts were returned on Thursday.

Bennell had coached and worked at Crewe Alexandra and Manchester City. in the 1980s and early 1990s.

The court heard he used both clubs as vehicles to groom and manipulate pre-pubescent boys before sexually abusing them.

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During the course of his trial, he was described as a "child molester on an industrial scale" who would not just groom his victims, but also their families.

Victims who had been coached by Bennell as boys told how he had a "power hold" over them as they dreamed of becoming professional footballers.

He was said to have been treated like "God" at Manchester City's Maine Road ground.

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He abused the boys at his homes, where he had arcade games and exotic pets including a puma and a monkey, but also on trips away and in his car while on the way to and from training.

One victim, who he had admitted abusing in 1998, said he knew of four men who had been coached by Bennell, including former Wales manager Gary Speed, who had gone on to take their own lives.

It was said in court that there was no known link from Bennell to the suicides.

During the trial, the court has heard Bennell, 64, compared to the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

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Three of Bennell's victims, Mickey Fallon, Chris Unsworth and Steve Walters, read emotional statements outside court.

Mr Fallon said: "We stand before you today as men united in justice, united under the banner of the Offside Trust - the organisation that's set up by survivors for survivors, by players for players.

"We stand before you today as men united but, at the same time, we were very young boys.

"We were little boys with a dream and our innocence was shattered.

"Our dreams turned into the most horrendous nightmare."

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Bennell will be sentenced on Monday and will be produced from custody to attend the hearing, the judge told the jury as he discharged them.

In his closing speech, Nicholas Johnson QC, prosecuting, said: "We suggest Mr Bennell is a child molester on an industrial scale and that's why he went to these lengths to get so many lads round to his house."

In transcripts of police interviews which were read in court, Bennell, who has changed his name to Richard Jones, told the police about his grooming process and abuse of boys, but claimed the complainants in the case were "jumping on the bandwagon" following publicity.

He chose not to appear in the witness box and no evidence was called by the defence.

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Crewe Alexandra statement in full "Crewe Alexandra would like to express its deepest sympathies to the victims of Barry Bennell. The club would like to reassure all those who have been affected by this case that the club has worked closely with the police throughout and provided full cooperation, transparency and assistance with their enquiries. The club will continue to provide that cooperation as and when required. Since November 2016 the club has dedicated a significant amount of time and resources to locating historic information and documentation about Mr Bennell, both in connection with the preparation of its own internal review and the provision of information and documentation to the relevant authorities. This documentation includes voluminous files relating to an unsuccessful compensation claim brought by Andy Woodward against the club in 2002 in which the Court found no evidence that the club had knowledge of any abuse committed by Mr Bennell. The club would therefore like to reiterate that it was not aware of any sexual abuse by Mr Bennell, nor did it receive any complaint about sexual abuse by him, either before or during his employment with the club. Mr Bennell was employed by the club for two periods between January 1985 and January 1992. On both occasions, he left for football-related reasons. The first the club became aware of any offences committed by Mr Bennell was when he was arrested in the United States in 1994. The club co-operated fully with the police investigation in relation to the prosecution of Mr Bennell in 1997/98. The club also cooperated fully in the production of the Dispatches programme that was broadcast around that time. Further, the police have recently undertaken a thorough investigation to determine what knowledge Crewe Alexandra may have had of Mr Bennell's offending whilst he was employed as a coach, which involved interviewing a significant number of individuals, including a former director of the club, Hamilton Smith. As a result of their investigations, the police found no evidence to corroborate that the club was aware of Mr Bennell's offending. The club wishes to make it absolutely clear that had it had any suspicion or belief that Mr Bennell was committing acts of abuse, either before, during or after he left the club's employment, the club would have informed the police immediately. The thoughts of everyone at the club go to the victims and their families at this difficult time."

Before the trial he pleaded guilty to seven counts of indecent assault involving three boys, two of whom were part of the trial.

During the course of his trial, he was described as a "child molester on an industrial scale" who would not just groom his victims, but also their families.

Victims who had been coached by Bennell as boys told how he had a "power hold" over them as they dreamed of becoming professional footballers.

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Jackie Lamb, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Barry Bennell is a predatory paedophile who groomed and abused young boys who dreamed of a career in professional football.

"He claimed his accusers were making up stories about him following previous convictions and stories in the media but thanks to the evidence from his victims, the CPS and police were able to build a strong case to expose Bennell's denials as lies.

"Because of the scale of Bennell's offending, the prosecution faced a number of challenges, including selecting charges which would adequately reflect the scale and seriousness of what Bennell did.

Second person 'linked to Man City child sex abuse claims' Another person with "potential historic connections" to Manchester City has been linked with serious allegations of child sex abuse, the club has said. The Premier League table-toppers launched a QC-led review in November 2016 to investigate whether former City scout Barry Bennell used the club to facilitate abuse of young footballers. The probe is also looking at whether any other paedophile may have used their connections with City to commit offences at any point from 1965 to the present day. As well as identifying Bennell's activities, the review uncovered a second man called John Broome - who is now dead - but is not believed to be linked to Bennell. Manchester City said they are also continuing to "exhaustively examine" a number of reports of "historic anomalous behaviours". Following the end of the trial, City stated: "Firstly, and most importantly, following today's events at Liverpool Crown Court, Manchester City FC offers its heartfelt sympathy to all victims for the unimaginably traumatic experiences they have endured. "No one can remove their suffering or that of others who suffered sexual abuse as children as a result of their involvement with football. All victims were entitled to expect full protection from the kind of harm they endured." The club said it remained in "regular dialogue" with police and the Football Association which is conducting its own widespread investigation into allegations of historical sex abuse.

"The indictment before the court properly reflected that offending and will allow the court to sentence appropriately.

"I would like to pay tribute to the victims who have come forward to give evidence against him and I hope this outcome gives them some sense of justice being done after so many years."