Credit: StockSnap The Experiences of Male Victims of Non-Recent Child Sexual Abuse in Football within the Criminal Justice System in the UK Final Report April 2021 Ailish Saker University of Oxford Acknowledgements This project would not have been possible without the time and investment of those who participated in this research. Although I sadly cannot name them individually here, I am truly grateful for everyone who was able to speak with me. In particular, I would like to thank the victims and survivors for patiently sharing their experiences and allowing them to be used in this research. Their input was invaluable. Additionally, I would like to thank my supervisor Professor Rachel Condry for reviewing an early draft of this report and the FIFA Research Scholarship for their kind support of this research. We understand this content of this research may be upsetting. If you feel like you need to speak to anyone, please do not hesitate in contacting one of the following services: National Male Survivor Helpline: 0808 800 5005 Text Support: 07860 027573 | Email Support: [email protected] NSPCC’s Dedicated Helpline for Football Survivors: 0800 023 2642 2 Table of Contents Abbreviations………………………………………………………………………………………5 Executive Summary………………………………………………………………………………..6 1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………16 2. Literature Review……………………………………………………………………………....18 3. Methodology…………………………………………………………………………………....23 3.1 Research Design…………………………………………………………………………………….23 3.2 Empirical Research…………………………………………………………………………….…...26 3.3 Data Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………….….28 4. Non-Recent Child Sexual Abuse in Football………………………………………………….30 4.1 Background…………………………………………………………………………………………..30 4.2 November 2016………………………………………………………………………………………33 4.3 Late Disclosures………………………………………………………………………………….....34 4.4 Gender & Masculinity…………………………………………………………………………..….36 4.5 Race, Power & Class……………………………………………………………………...………..37 4.6 Footballing Environment…………………………………………………………………………..38 4.7 Long-Term Impact of Abuse……………………………………………………………………….40 4.8 NSPCC Helpline………………………………………………………………………………....….41 4.9 Disclosing vs. Waiving Anonymity………………………………………………………….….…42 4.10 Power of Activism………………………………………………………………………………....44 5. The Victims in the Criminal Justice System………………………………………………..…45 5.1 Background……………………………………………………………………………………….….45 5.2 Experiences Prior to 2016………………………………………………………………………....45 5.3 Police – Disclosure & Investigation……………………………………………………………...48 5.4 Crown Prosecution Service – Decision to Prosecute………………………………………..…55 5.5 Legal Frameworks……………………………………………………………………………....….60 5.6 Court – Trial & Sentencing…………………………………………………………………….….62 5.7 Dead Perpetrators……………………………………………………………………………....….67 5.8 Media: Help or Hindrance? …………………………………………………………………...….68 5.9 Victim Support Services…………………………………………………………………………....70 6. What Improvements Could Be Made to the Victim Experience of the Criminal Justice System?…………………………………………………………………………………………....76 6.1 Background…………………………………………………………………………………………..76 6.2 What is justice? ………………………………………………………………………………..……76 6.3 ‘Overhaul’ or Small Tweaks? ………………………………………………………………….....78 6.4 Changes in the Current System……………………………………………………………………80 6.5 Number of Victims Taken Forward……………………………………………………………....82 6.6 Legal Reform………………………………………………………………………………………...83 6.7 Funding & Resources………………………………………………………………………….…...83 6.8 Wider Awareness & Recognition……………………………………………………………..…..84 6.9 Victim Support Services……………………………………………………………………………84 7. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….….……87 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………...…89 3 4 Abbreviations APPG: All-Party Parliamentary Group CBT: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy CPS: Crown Prosecution Service CUREC: Central University Research Ethics Committee CSA: Child Sexual Abuse CSE: Child Sexual Exploitation EDMR: Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprogramming FA: Football Association IICSA: Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse ISVA: Independent Sexual Violence Adviser NAPAC: National Association for People Abused in Childhood NHS: National Health Service NSPCC: National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children ONS: Office for National Statistics PFA: Professional Footballers' Association PTSD: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder RASASC: Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre RASSO: Rape and Serious Sexual Offences SFA: Scottish Football Association SIO: Senior Investigating Officer VIS: Victim Impact Statement VPS: Victim Personal Statement 5 Executive Summary In 2016, Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) in football was brought into public consciousness when ex-professional footballer Andy Woodward waived his right to anonymity by speaking out about the abuse he suffered as a child at Crewe Alexandra Football Club. The publicity surrounding this disclosure led to a ‘snowball effect’ of other men coming forward to disclose their experience of being sexually abused while playing in grass-roots and professional football teams. 849 former and current players came forward against 300 suspects, with 340 clubs being implicated and 1,886 incidents reported in the United Kingdom (Operation Hydrant, 2019). Yet these figures remain conservative to the true scale of the abuse, as numerous men will never disclose what they experienced in childhood. These individuals should be acknowledged, despite their voices being absent. This report is part of an on-going doctoral research project being conducted at the University of Oxford’s Centre for Criminology, exploring victims’ experience going through the criminal justice system in the many cases of non-recent child sexual abuse in youth football clubs in the United Kingdom. This research is specifically exploring male victims of sexual abuse, therefore focuses on the particular barriers that prevent men from speaking out. The project uses a range of methods including a victim questionnaire and interviews with victims, victim advocates working closely alongside those who suffered abuse, and a small number of criminal justice professionals working on these cases to contextualise the victims’ experiences in the system. The report draws upon twenty-one interviews and seven questionnaire respondents. Ten interviews were conducted with victims and victim advocates with lived experience1 (one participant had two interviews), six with victim advocates, and five with criminal justice professionals (four police and one from the Crown Prosecution Service). With consideration to two interviewees identifying themselves as having completed both an interview and filling in the questionnaire, a total of fourteen victims and victim advocates with lived experiences’ accounts are considered in this research. The interviews highlight the complexity of each victim’s experience of the criminal justice system, particularly as many of the participants were both complainants and also witnesses to the abuse of other boys. Although the sample size is too small to make any quantitative observations, the characteristics of participants broadly reflect those of the victims who waived their anonymity and have appeared in the media since November 2016. The demographic data from the victim questionnaire reveal the participants to identify as male, white, over forty years old and as coming from a working class or lower middle-class background. This executive summary provides an overview of the key themes in this research, although to understand the vital role of the voices of victims and survivors which led to these findings, it is recommended to review the full report. I. The Context of Child Sexual Abuse in Football Methods of Grooming Each perpetrator in these cases was either a football coach or scout who exploited their position of trust for their own sexual gratification. The abuse occurred in a number of 1 This is in reference to victim advocates who experienced abuse in football, other victim advocates working professionally may have also experienced childhood abuse in another setting but this is not identified in the report. 6 scenarios in these cases, often locker rooms, the perpetrator’s home and car, and even more brazenly in open areas within training facilities. Multiple perpetrators targeted the boys while away at training camps or tournaments abroad. When the young players were taken away from their family home, the coach had ample opportunity to manipulate and abuse players. How abusers garnered trust varied considerably, yet often included targeting a player and lavishing them with gifts and takeaway meals, which was particularly significant to players from poorer families who may not have been able to afford such luxuries. The culture in which the abuse occurred was also important, as perceptions surrounding what a perpetrator would look like or how they would behave were still fairly rigid at this time. The idea of a paedophile was not the charismatic football coach who got on well with parents and was well respected in the community. Stereotypes such as these ensured coaches were trusted implicitly. Sport offered up a dream to many young men, often from working class homes, of a future earning a living from playing a game they loved. The coach or scout is the ultimate gatekeeper into professional football, controlling the entry onto this potential career path. The boys were aware of their position in the club, with many believing they had to withstand the abuse to progress in football. Parents were similarly sold the ‘footballing dream’ for their sons, with many working and lower