Football coach, 67, preyed on kids over three decades

'Malignant predator' guilty of nearly 60 historic offences against eight children

- Sentinel Reporter

A FORMER football coach who preyed on and abused several children over a 30-year period has been found guilty of nearly 60 historic child sex offences.

William Woods carried out his sickening attacks on eight children across the Crewe and Northwich areas of Cheshire between the late 1970s and early 2000s.

Chester Crown Court heard Woods was football coach over the course of his offending and used his connections with family friends to build a position of trust and influence over the children, isolating them from their loved ones before sexually abusing them.

Woods also encouraged the young people to abuse one another, bringing multiple children together at his home to act out his warped sexual fantasies. Alongside his campaign of sexual abuse against these children, Woods was also physically abusive, with the court hearing how he had locked one of his victims in a cupboard for a prolonged period and burnt them with cigarettes and a pan that was being used for cooking.