There may have been complaints at the time, but possibly not. That's what grooming is about...the victims end up not knowing what's right and what's not. They can be made to feel stupid, afraid and embarrassed....especially when the perpetrator is someone in power respected by others. So brave for the victims to come forward now when they might have hoped to put it all behind them....the tragedy being that it has cast a dark shadow over their whole life and has proved impossible to move on from. All those lives affected...and for what. Bastard.
If we all took that view it would be the end of the society we know. Our whole way of life is founded on trust, of each other, of our fellow drivers on the road, of the people who care for us when we’re sick, and especially those who look after our children. If we didn’t trust anyone with them, what’s the alternative? One or other parent being with them 24/7, having to mend them when they have accidents or fall sick, having to teach them everything we know? The fact is, paedophiles and those who would abuse or hurt children are a minuscule fraction of the population, and just as we shouldn’t let our lives be ordered because of a perceived threat of terrorism, neither should we keep such a close watch on our children that their lives are stunted and limited as a result. Put boundaries in of course, and teach them to be alert to threats, but don’t lock them away for the sake of their safety.
I think that is the point I was making............"Anyone" meaning only those you can check out or really know well........I feel for those victims.........
Gossip and hearsay which isn't evidence but from what has been said the club were aware of his actions but maybe not the extent.
dave merrington flagged it and SFC contacted the police apparently bob was mates with Jim'll fix it too
It is absolutely imperative that we do maintain trust. Safeguarding is vastly better now, but I accept these things will happen again. However, to let a minority ruin it for everyone else is a mistake. Be aware. Be vigilant. Listen to your kids, but always begin with optimism about people, as we are mostly good.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-48395415 As per Beefy yesterday... some victims suing Saints and Peterborough.
Higgins was also involved in non-league football including some time at Fleet Town until recently I believe. It is quite interesting to compare the reaction between the non-league clubs and the professional ones. He had some involvement at Winchester City but I think I am correct in saying that the club dismissed him pretty swiftly as the Hampshire FA had alerted the club about him. I am pretty sure that many local non-league clubs received a similar warning and, I the interests of balance, I think it is probably fair to comment that the local football authorities were pretty proactive in this respect.
He used to have a youth team play in the Hampshire U18 league years back. Did they throw him out of that do you know? I can’t remember under what name it ran, but it was from His coaching school
Spoiler: Very poor taste joke alert The one good thing about paedophiles is that at least they drive past schools slowly...
I have just learned that Saints first approach inviting my son for a trial as a school boy was by Bob Higgins!! I learned that from my Son's old Physical ed teacher yesterday. Luckily when he was due to play another game and Higgins apparently turned up my son had chicken pox. So we'll never know if my son was lucky or not.........
