Nigerian football coach sentenced to 15 years in U.K. for assaulting teenagers

Emmanuel Igwebuike, a self-described Nigerian football coach, was found guilty of sexually abusing seven young boys and was given a 15-year sentence in the U.K. The suspect was also given a lifetime order to avoid sexual harm and will forever be listed on the Sex Offenders Register.

Emmanuel Igwebuike, a self-described Nigerian football coach, was found guilty of sexually abusing seven young boys and was given a 15-year sentence in the U.K. The suspect was also given a lifetime order to avoid sexual harm and will forever be listed on the Sex Offenders Register.

According to reports from the U.K., the Inner London Crown Court punished Igwebuike after finding him responsible for 22 charges of sexual assault after a trial in April continued for five weeks.

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The Victims age was reported between 14 to 18 when he committed the assaults in June 2019 and April 2021. Every sexual attack has occurred at his old residences in Lambeth and Putney and a hotel in Birmingham.

On June 15, 2021, 15 days before, the Nigerian was detained by police officers from a multidisciplinary investigation team, and the central specialist crime command after several accusations against him was presented to the Police.

According to the Metropolitan Police investigation, Igwebuike was running his own football academy in the South London neighbourhoods of Stockwell and Putney and pretending himself as the coach.

The Police stated that Igwebuike had no connection to the English Football Association (F.A.) or any nearby football club. He assaulted the boys after gaining their trust by promising to promote their football careers and give them opportunities to play in major league games.

According to the Police, when Igwebuike perpetrated the crimes, none of these boys was aware that the other boys were being abused, and everyone believed that he was the only boy to get abused.

Police claimed that although he was accused of abusing seven boys, other possible victims and witnesses to Igwebuike’s actions were cited when the accusations were made against him. Police are now expecting another victim to come forward.

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Elaine Hutton, Detective Constable from the Met’s specialist crime command, said, “Igwebuike committed several extreme nature offences. The young victims’ lives have been seriously impacted by them, especially their families who supported him and fell prey to his deception”.

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