The paedophile former coach Barry Bennell accused some of his victims of ‘Oscar’ performances here on Tuesday and said some of them were trying to get money out of Manchester City.
Bennell, serving a 34-year sentence for sexual abuse, gave evidence from prison for a case in which eight men are suing City for psychiatric injuries and loss of potential earnings — because they claim Bennell was working for the club when they were abused by him between 1979 and 1985.
They insist on Bennell’s insistence that he did not work during this period.
Bennell, who was wearing a red sweatshirt with a facemask and appeared on video from HMP Littlehey in Cambridgeshire, denied any association.
The paedophile former coach Barry Bennell accused some of his victims of ‘Oscar’ performances on Tuesday and claimed some of them were trying to get money out of Man City
On videolink from HMP Littlehey in Cambridgeshire, the former coach denied any association with the club during the question period.
‘All I want is the truth,’ he said, before adding that he had been approached in prison by one victim who ‘asked me if I would lie so he could claim compensation from the football club’.
‘I’m in prison and they’re still going on about money. They’re not concerned about the punishment of me,’ he said.
When asked if some of his accusers had ‘jumped on a bandwagon’, he said: ‘Without a doubt. Give me a polygraph and I’ll prove it. All I’ve done is help and help and help. I’ve done nothing else.’
James Counsell, QC represented the claimants and asked Bennell if he enjoyed seeing his victims relive the abuse that he inflicted during court proceedings.
Eight men aged in their 50s and 60s claim Bennell abuses them. They are now suing the highest-flight club
‘I thought it was good acting,’ said Bennell. ‘All the crying. An Oscar performance.’
The decision to bring Bennell as a witness on behalf of City has been criticised — but the club say they had no control over who came before the court, pointing out that the matter is being handled by lawyers on behalf of an insurance company.
According to them, the name of the club is only a formality.
With some of the claimants watching proceedings via videolink, Bennell added: ‘I was good at creating the impression with junior players, their parents, other coaches that I was an MCFC coach and that playing for one of my junior teams meant that they were in some way connected with MCFC, which was what the players and their parents wanted to believe.
‘However, the reality is that I was never an MCFC coach and after 1978, 1979 my junior teams had no connection at all with MCFC.’
This is the ongoing case.