Survivors Seek Answers After Youth Coach Jailed for Abuse

Victims of former football coach Bob Higgins, who is beginning a 24-year jail term for abusing schoolboy players, are demanding answers about why he was able to evade justice for decades.

Survivors called on high-profile players and managers who worked with Higgins at Southampton FC to explain what they knew about his offending, claiming their silence protected him. They also demanded accountability from Peterborough FC and the Football Association for allowing Higgins to coach and abuse youth players for seven years after concerns were raised.

Higgins, 66, was sentenced at Winchester crown court for the abuse of 24 schoolboys between 1971 and 1996. Judge Peter Crabtree described Higgins as a cunning predator who abused his position of trust and caused lasting harm to his victims, noting his lack of remorse.

Many of Higgins' victims, now middle-aged, testified to the enduring mental health problems caused by his crimes. Some spoke of attempted suicide, while others described struggling with flashbacks, panic attacks, depression, anxiety, and trust issues. Despite their suffering, several went on to successful football careers, though some claimed their potential was hindered by Higgins.

After the sentencing, Hampshire police confirmed that more allegations against Higgins had emerged and further prosecutions were possible.

Dean Radford, a former Southampton youth player who came forward with accusations in 1989, expressed hope that Southampton club directors, players, and management would come forward with what they knew about Higgins' abuse. "We believe many people must have known what was going on. By not speaking out these people were and still are protecting a predatory paedophile," Radford said.

Radford also paid tribute to Billy Seymour, a former Southampton junior star and victim of Higgins who died earlier this year in a car crash. "Billy will be looking down on us smiling knowing Bob Higgins cannot harm any other child ever again. He will never be forgotten. We did it Billy, just like you said we would. You can now rest in peace our dear friend," Radford said.

Higgins worked with youngsters at Southampton from 1975 to 1990 and at Peterborough from 1994 to 1996. Even after the Guardian exposed abuse within football in 2016, Higgins continued working in the sport, though not as a junior coach.

Dion Raitt, abused by Higgins as a junior player at Peterborough, described how Higgins exploited the boys' ambition to succeed in football. "There remain many questions that we deserve answers to. How was Bob Higgins able to slip through the net for so long? How was he ever put into a position of power at a professional football club like Peterborough United?" Raitt asked.

Raitt pointed out that the Football League, then the game's governing body, had issued a warning to all clubs about Higgins in 1989. "Sadly because of potential failings we were subjected to horrific abuse at the hands of Higgins," he said.

Another unnamed victim criticized the FA and Southampton for their handling of Higgins, asking: "Where were Southampton? Where were the FA? Where was their due diligence and safeguarding policies? They had a duty of care, a responsibility."

Anthony Connolly and Lee Smith, two other former Southampton youth players who waived their right to anonymity, shared their experiences of abuse at the hands of Higgins. Connolly, who met Higgins at age 12, said the coach groomed both him and his parents. "You took away my childhood," he told Higgins directly, describing the enduring fear, anxiety, and torment he suffered. Smith called Higgins a monster who ruined the dreams of his victims for his own satisfaction, adding that "the football community is now a much safer place."

Southampton and Peterborough have apologized to the victims. The FA has acknowledged the victims' distress and pointed them towards an independent inquiry into allegations of child sexual abuse in football.

Both football clubs declined to comment on the former players' demands for more answers. The FA spokesperson said: "The FA has commissioned an independent QC to conduct a review into, what, if anything, the FA and clubs knew about the allegations of child sexual abuse at the relevant time, and what action was taken or should have taken place. It is therefore inappropriate for the FA to comment on these questions whilst that review is ongoing."