Ex-Football Coach Denies Molesting Young Player Three Decades Ago

David Hinman: Denials

A football coach molested a young boy over three decades ago during sleepovers in his shared single bed, a court has heard.

David Hinman, 70, of Poplar Close, Downham Market, Norfolk kissed the youngster on his neck and groped him between the legs on two occasions the jury were told.

Former delivery driver Hinman, who coached the Camberwell Lions in south-east London in the early 1980’s, told police the allegations were untrue.

He has pleaded not guilty at Inner London Crown Court to four counts of indecently assaulting the boy between 1981 and 1985 at an address in Rye Hill Park, Peckham.

In his video-recorded interview the 48 year-old complainant, who played for the team, claimed the abuse occurred when he was approximately eleven to fourteen years-old.

“I thought he was a friendly guy, a friendly football manager,” he told the jury. “He built my family’s confidence up in him.

“I ended up having to get in his bed and just knew there was something not right and woke up to him doing what he was doing.

“He was kissing the back of my neck and had his hands down touching my privates and I said: ‘What are you doing?’ and he stopped.

“He was enjoying himself, he was having a grope,” added the complainant, who said Hinman then pleasured himself. “There was a lot of deep breathing and movement under the sheets.”

Hinman was also a DJ at the time and the man said he behaved inappropriately on another occasion. “He was getting ready for the disco and called me into the bathroom and was standing there with an erection.”

The witness found himself sharing Hinman’s single bed again. “I knew exactly what was going to happen when I got in that bed and once I went asleep he was going to have a feel.”

He said the defendant again kissed him on the neck and groped him between the legs until he told him to stop.

Prosecutor Grace Ong told the jury the complainant did not report Hinman at the time, but came forward to the NSPCC after reading a news report in 2017 regarding historic abuse involving football coaches.

Hinman repeatedly called the boy “gorgeous” and “handsome”, the court heard and was arrested in April, 2017 after police traced him, despite having changed his name.

“He said it was all nonsense and made up and he denied the allegations,” said Ms Ong. “He said the boy stayed overnight once and they had to sleep in the same bed because he refused to share with his brother.”

Trial continues………….