Public Interest

A true story of one man’s fight against a broken justice system in England that led to the eventual conviction of British sport’s most prolific child sex offender, Barry Bennell. A family holiday led David Lean to a chance encounter with Butlin’s resident football coach Barry Bennell. It was Bennell who would hold the key to opening David’s door to professional football. He was an incredible junior coach and loved by boys and parents alike. By 1980, David had been groomed enough to allow him to go on a two-night trip with Bennell to attend a football course, where he was then sexually abused. David was just twelve at the time. When David finally found the strength to disclose the sexual abuse he suffered, he always believed there would be hundreds more survivors. He was right. After police investigation, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) found it not in the public interest to prosecute Bennell. Lean looked for avenues to appeal without success, until he was informed about the National Child sexual abuse review panel. Read David’s truth, what really happened, and why it was always in the public interest.