'Trusted' Newcastle United football coach abused 19 children over 24 years - enforcing 'no pants' rule on young players and telling one boy 'you want to play football, this is what happens', court hears

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George Ormond(pictured outside Newcastle Magistrates Court) 61, is accused of 29 historic child sex offences and abusing his position of power between 1973 and 1998

A 'trusted' youth football coach at Newcastle United is accused of abusing 19 children over a 24-year-period, enforcing a 'no underpants' rule at training and telling the youngsters they wouldn't be believed if they told anyone.

George Ormond, 61, is accused of 29 historic child sex offences and abusing his position of power between 1973 and 1998.

He denies the charges and faces trial by jury at Newcastle Crown Court.

The court heard he told young players: 'You want to play football, you want to play for me, this is what happens. Tell anybody, they won't believe you, I am trusted more than you.'

Jurors were also told he would pull young boys' trousers down saying that 'footballers don't wear underpants'.

They heard one boy awoke with his hands down his trousers and another had him hold his penis in his hand when he went to the toilet.  

Ormond denies sexually assaulting young boys throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s, , with 19 former youngsters under his care making accusations against him in a trial that will last six weeks.

The court heard Ormond helped to run a successful boys' team in the Newcastle area and progressed to Newcastle United's youth set-up in the 1990s.

Prosecutor Sharon Beattie told the court Ormond entered the Premiership club as a 'volunteer kit man and general helper.'

She said: 'He appeared to be well-liked and trusted by those who he worked for and popular with young people and their parents.

'But throughout that 20 year period he was in a position of trust and a figure of authority.

'This is something that he at times cynically manipulated to his own advantage.'

The ex-Newcastle youth coach denies the charges and faces trial by jury at Newcastle Crown Court (pictured)

Miss Beattie told the court: 'George Ormond has a proven disposition to sexually assault young men in particular ways and circumstances

'Additionally these are young men over whom he had some real or perceived authority. 

'George Ormond was an older man who used his position in effect to groom and manipulate young men in order to facilitate sexual assaults on them. 

'Many were aware but they did not come forward at that time. Some chose to bury what happened, some were embarrassed, most had never told anyone what happened.

'Some even felt guilty about what had happened and some felt they were in some way responsible for George Ormond's abuse of them. Of course they were not, there was no consent.

'Those under 16 were incapable of consenting to any sexual activity but the issue in this case is not whether these complainants consented.

'The issue in this case is whether these incidents happened at all. His case is that all the allegations he is facing are untrue.'

When the new offences first came to light in 2016, one alleged victim told police he was speaking out because: 'I don't want others to be exposed to what I went through as a child and not knowing what to do about it.' 

For youngsters at the non professional youth football team he helped manage, Ormond brought a 'no underpants' rule for players, which he would enforce by pulling the waistband of their shorts and looking down them.

The boys were told: 'Footballers don't wear underpants' Miss Beattie told the court, adding that some who broke the rule would be spanked with a slipper.

The court heard how one young player woke up to find Ormond's hands down his shorts whilst they were on a residential course in a countryside retreat.

Jurors heard it was Ormond's habit to rub liniment on the boys' legs before matches.

However one boy told how he would use it as a way of rubbing high up his thighs to touch him intimately.

It is alleged that he took one boy on a training run and used as a cover to abuse him.

Miss Beattie said the boy stopped to urinate and felt Ormond come up behind him.

She said: 'He held one boy's penis while he was urinating and told him 'I'll hold that for you, it's OK it happens all the time.'

'Afterwards, the boy carried on running but went back to the block for a shower because he felt dirty.' The trial continues. 

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