Ex-soccer coach Barry Bennell in court on child sex abuse charges

Former football coach Barry Bennell is due in court today charged with 12 counts of non-recent child sexual abuse.

The 63-year-old is expected to appear at South Cheshire Magistrates' Court in Crewe via video-link.

Last Tuesday, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced that Bennell had been charged with five counts of buggery with a boy aged under 16, two counts of indecent assault on a boy aged under 14 and one count of indecent assault on a boy aged under 16.

Two days later, on Thursday, the CPS said he faced a further four counts of indecent assault on a boy aged 11 to 12 years.

The 12 offences are alleged to have taken place between 1980 and 1987 and relate to three complainants.

The former Crewe Alexandra coach now faces 20 sexual abuse allegations, having previously appeared in court charged with seven counts of indecent assault on a boy and one count of attempted buggery.

Bennell pleaded not guilty to those offences, alleged to have happened between 1981 and 1986, at Chester Crown Court in January and was remanded in custody until a further hearing on March 20.