It's horrible to see arguably the UK's most prominent figure in youth development fail this child in such a basic way
In his evidence, Gradi was asked to clarify what the complaint was. “I don’t remember the detail but … he [Heath] didn’t rape him or anything. He was sexually, I don’t know, touching him, I suppose. I don’t remember. I don’t remember being horrified by it, thinking it was awful, but sorry.” He could recall telling the boy to keep away from Heath and that his colleague had been accused of “touching him where he shouldn’t have been touching him”.
He could also recall offering to “keep an eye” on the boy from that point onwards, adding: “I probably said something along the lines to partly defend Eddie Heath … well, he was good with the kids, he’d got a way with the kids and he liked being with the kids and they seemed to like being with him. To be quite honest, I think I would have tried to stand up for Eddie Heath a bit.”
This stinks too.
Geoff Hurst, one of England’s heroes from the 1966 World Cup, refused to cooperate with the inquiry, despite having been manager of Chelsea when Heath was sacked in 1979.
It's horrible to see arguably the UK's most prominent figure in youth development fail this child in such a basic way
In his evidence, Gradi was asked to clarify what the complaint was. “I don’t remember the detail but … he [Heath] didn’t rape him or anything. He was sexually, I don’t know, touching him, I suppose. I don’t remember. I don’t remember being horrified by it, thinking it was awful, but sorry.” He could recall telling the boy to keep away from Heath and that his colleague had been accused of “touching him where he shouldn’t have been touching him”.
He could also recall offering to “keep an eye” on the boy from that point onwards, adding: “I probably said something along the lines to partly defend Eddie Heath … well, he was good with the kids, he’d got a way with the kids and he liked being with the kids and they seemed to like being with him. To be quite honest, I think I would have tried to stand up for Eddie Heath a bit.”
This stinks too.
Geoff Hurst, one of England’s heroes from the 1966 World Cup, refused to cooperate with the inquiry, despite having been manager of Chelsea when Heath was sacked in 1979.
I see Ger Lane stressing that underage coaches must be Garda vetted and for clubs to make sure as its their responsibility. His quote of "I have reason for saying this" caught the eye. Is there something coming down the tracks or just being proactive given recent developments in Britain
Given that there is a tiny but finite percentage of Irish society that alas indulges in this kind of carry on it's not overly surprising that there's a likelihood of potential child abusers in the GAA, FAI, and even in Rugby given the large numbers involved.
Hopefully the Garda vetting, and new rules where children can't be alone with an adult will remove any opportunities for these vile predators. But folk shouldn't be complacent. One victim is one too many.
