Manchester City: Barry Bennell victim attacks Premier League club over their lack of apology

One of eight men suing Manchester City over the abuse he suffered at the hands of paedophile former scout Barry Bennell has slammed the club for not apologising.

The men are claiming damages from the club in the High Court as they say Bennell was a City employee at the time of the abuse. City deny that was the case.

Ian Ackley, who has waived his right to anonymity, told a judge in a written statement: ‘I feel completely spent by Manchester City. They have completely exhausted me. The lack of an apology from Manchester City has always been a frustration because it was widely known that Bennell would effectively feed teams to Manchester City and had a close relationship with them.

One of Barry Bennell’s (pictured) victims has slammed Manchester City for a lack of apology

Ian Ackley, who has waived his right to anonymity, said he would have been a First Division footballer ‘with the opportunity to play for England’ had he not been abused by Bennell

‘They have indicated that they want to resolve things but this is contradicted by their actions,’ Mr Justice Johnson heard. 

‘I am astounded at how long the process has taken and at the lack of openness and co-operation from the club. I don’t understand why they take the position they are taking, it’s gone on for so long, it’s something I want to put behind me.

‘It feels like my whole life is in limbo, I want to move my life forward, I feel very much trapped. I want them to apologise and finally to acknowledge what has happened.’

Ackley, who has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, said he would have been a First Division footballer ‘with the opportunity to play for England’ had he not been abused by Bennell.

He played for both Manchester United and Rochdale but failed to fulfil the promise he had shown and walked away from professional football at the age of 17.

Ackley said Bennell approached his father when he was nine, introduced himself as the Manchester City north west regional scout and also had a business card that showed this. 

Eight men, all in their 40s and 50s, say Bennell abused them and are suing the top-flight club

The men are claiming damages from the club in the High Court as they say Bennell was a City employee at the time of the abuse 

The former player, who said he had trained with Sheffield United at the age of eight, added that he then played for one of Bennell’s youth teams and was often taken by him to train at City’s Platt Lane training ground, with City coaches.

He added that the players would sometimes wear City kit and that, at one stage, he turned down the offer of a trial with Aston Villa.

The judge heard how Ackley was abused for three years by Bennell, with representative James Counsell QC telling the judge the repeated attacks ‘took a huge toll on him psychologically and, not surprisingly, he became disenchanted with football’.

‘I think I would have had a career that was similar to Paul Lake who played for Manchester City and England as a central midfielder,’ Ackley wrote in his witness statement.

‘I was left-footed but could use both feet well and I was very fast. The abuse affected my focus during games and it slowly but surely ate away at my confidence which, in turn, affected my form, which affected my confidence, a vicious circle — until I ended up a shadow of my former self.

‘Ideally, I would have stayed at Manchester United and progressed my career but by then the abuse had already taken its toll on my mental health and confidence. I think I would have made it as a First Division footballer and had an opportunity to play for England.’

Manchester City deny that Bennell was an employee or in a relationship ‘akin to employment’

Bennell’s card has City’s name on it and says he was their ‘North West Representative’

Ackley, who now has a role with the Professional Footballers’ Association, is part of a group claiming damages after suffering psychiatric injuries. Six are also claiming damages for loss of potential earnings.

Ackley is seeking close to £230,000. The men say Bennell abused them when they were playing youth football more than 30 years ago and claim Bennell was operating as a City scout at the time.

City bosses disagree, with lawyers representing the club saying Bennell was a ‘local scout’ in the mid-1970s but did not have a role in the 1980s and did not have relationship ‘akin to employment’ at ‘the material times’.

City say the matter is ‘out of their control’ and has been passed ‘to the relevant Football League insurers’.

They say the club is named in the case ‘as a formality only’.