Junior football coach jailed again for child sex offences.

Former Junior Football Coach Sentenced for Rape

Michael Coleman, 79, has been sentenced to an additional eight years in prison for raping a 15-year-old boy in the mid-1970s. Coleman, who was already serving a seven-year sentence for sexually assaulting boys in the 1980s, was found guilty by Bolton Crown Court.

The victim, who joined the football team Coleman managed in Bolton, was first indecently assaulted by Coleman in the showers and changing rooms. Coleman later took the teenager out drinking and, on one occasion, took him back to his flat under the pretense of getting him food. It was at the flat that the assault escalated to rape.

The attacks came to light after Coleman was jailed for the previous offenses in 2018. This case was part of a wider investigation into non-recent sexual abuse in sport, led by Greater Manchester Police (GMP), the NSPCC, the Football Association, and local councils.

A GMP spokesman described the investigation as "harrowing" and emphasized the impact the abuse has had on the victim. "I cannot imagine the psychological effect this abuse has had on the complainant, not only as a young man but throughout his life," the spokesman said. "But I hope that the verdict brings some form of closure and a sense of justice being served."

The spokesman added that the boy "should have been able to trust Coleman as a local football coach, but was instead let down by him in the most horrendous way."