‘It’s crazy’ – Sex abuse investigators at Peterborough failed to contact manager who worked with Bob Higgins and Kit Carson
Fresh concerns have been raised about Peterborough United’s review into historic sex abuse at the club after it emerged the manager at the time of the attacks was not contacted by investigators.
John Still confirmed to talkSPORT he was not asked for his recollections despite working alongside Bob Higgins and Kit Carson.
Higgins is serving a 24-year jail term for indecently assaulting 24 boys, some while he was youth coach at Peterborough between 1994-1996.
Peterborough have been at the centre of a sex abuse scandal
Carson, who died on the day his sex abuse trial was due to start, was Peterborough’s Head of Youth Development throughout Still’s 14 months in charge.
Mark, which is not his real name, was abused by Higgins at Peterborough.
“It’s crazy”, he said. “How can you hold an investigation and not speak to the first team manager who had daily dealings with Bob Higgins?”
Peterborough refused to answer questions about its inquiry but said it is ‘fully cooperating’ with the independent FA-commissioned review.
Testimony given to talkSPORT has highlighted potential gaps in the final report, which the club previously confirmed has been completed.
John Still said: “If they [youth players] went on tournaments they’d be away. If they got back late at night, to my knowledge they would sometimes stay over at the club.”
Jamie O’Hara believes the only way forward is to end the season immediately
Mark, who was not asked to participate in the inquiry either, said: “Some of the lads who became apprentices with me told me they had stayed on blow-up beds with [Higgins].”
After Higgins was found guilty of 45 counts of indecent assault, Peterborough United issued an ‘unreserved apology’ to youth players who suffered under its care.
“Very rarely did I see Bob Higgins”, Still added. “I never actually had any direct dealings with him.”
Although Mark says he recalls that ‘Higgins was sitting in the dugout during first team matches when John Still was there’.
Leading child abuse lawyer Dino Nocivelli said: “This raises questions as to whether Peterborough United’s inquiry will ever truly get to the bottom of what happened when Higgins and Carson were at the club.”
LATEST FOOTBALL NEWS
There is no suggestion John Still has done anything wrong.
Higgins’ presence on the bench was the ‘worst thing that could have happened’ to the youth players, according to Mark, as they realised pleasing him was the only way to progress.
There are particular fears the review will have failed to understand Higgins’ exploitation of power without such evidence from survivors.
talkSPORT understands Still’s successor Mick Halsall was spoken to as part of the club’s inquiry.
No comments:
Post a Comment