Paedo Footie Coach Caged For Thirty-Five Years Of Sex Abuse

An ex-football coach who sexually abused a string of young boys over 35 years – plying them with booze and showering them with gifts – has been locked up for a minimum of nine years.

Retired caretaker David Berry, 70, (pictured) of Jubilee Road, Greenford, Middlesex filmed himself having sex with the youngsters – aged between 8 and 17 years-old.

Berry exploited his position of trust while working in a school, even befriending some of the victims' families.

He first began abusing a teenage boy in 1975, and he continued abusing others until just weeks before he was arrested by the Metropolitan Police’s specialist rape investigation unit, Sapphire, on April 22, last year.

When police searched Berry's home they found videos and images of the pensioner sexually abusing young boys.

He was arrested and quizzed and as the scale of the abuse became clear, the investigation was transferred to the Child Abuse Command's Serious Case Team for further investigation.

He was charged with a total of 45 serious sexual offences against children including sexual assault, gross indecency and rape.

At Isleworth Crown Court he admitted 22 counts of serious sexual abuse, including repeated rape relating to five victims.

He referred to having relationships or "flings" with the boys, and even described sexual activity as being “mutual”.

All of the victims were known to the defendant, who deliberately targeted, groomed and abused them when they were very young.

His abuse continued until the boys reached the age of or 17 before turning his attention to another younger child.

The victims are now aged between 13 and 50-years.

Berry preyed on vulnerable victims, including a child with learning difficulties, plying some of them with alcohol to facilitate some of the abuse.

As a reward Berry showered his victims with gifts and provided them with pocket money.

A mother of a one of those abused by Berry as a child said: “I was so shocked and sad for him.

“It explained his behaviour in the past - his drinking and temper.

“When he was telling me [about the abuse] he was angry and upset.”