Former football coach guilty of child sex offences over a 30-year period

William Woods; a 67-year-old former football coach from Congleton, was convicted at Chester Crown Court on 24th June 2025 of 57 offences dating back to 1976, with those offences taking place over a 30-year period until 2006.

The offences relating to eight victims, which were committed across Crewe and Northwich, included inciting children under 14 to gross indecency, sexual activity with boys aged 13-15, and attempted rape, with two minor charges being dismissed.

The eight-week trial heard how Woods used his influence and position, by taking the children away on holidays and camping trips to isolate them from their families and then abusing them.

The jury heard how Woods also brought multiple children to his home and encourage them to abuse one another, including subjecting them to physical abuse by burning them with cigarettes or a cooking pan and locking them in cupboards.

His crimes were not brought to light until one of his victims was finally able to report the abuse to Cheshire Police in 2018, which led to a further seven victims being identified.

Due to the number of victims and the volume of offending, the Crown Prosecution Service described the investigation into Woods as one of the biggest child sex abuse cases in the Mersey-Cheshire area.

Woods was interviewed on several occasions throughout the investigation, before being formally arrested in 2022. Woods denied the abuse, alleging he had not met some of the victims and those he had met were lying.

The investigation was overseen by PC Emma Hughes who described Woods as a “malignant and opportunistic sexual predator” using his position as a local football coach to prey on his victims and carryout his “warped sexual fantasies.”

PC Hughes further commented, "I would like to stress that, as this case has shown today, we take all reports of historic sexual abuse extremely seriously and we thoroughly investigate every report we receive, placing the victim's needs at the heart of the case, regardless of how long ago the offence occurred."

Woods is due to be sentenced at Chester Crown Court on 15th August 2025.

The Police urge anyone who may have been a victim of sexual abuse, or anyone who knows of someone who has, to call them on 101 or visit their website, advising reports can also be made anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.