A self-appointed football coach was sentenced to 15 years in prison after being found guilty of abusing his position by sexually assaulting seven adolescents.
Along with receiving a lifetime order to prevent sexual harm, Emmanuel Igwebuike, 35, of no permanent address, will also spend his whole life on the Sex Offenders Register.
Following a five-week trial, the Inner London Crown Court convicted him guilty of 22 charges of sexual assault in April and handed down the sentence.
Seven of his victims were male and ranged in age from 14 to 18 at the time of the offences, which occurred between June 2019 and April 2021. According to reports, the sexual attacks happened at his old residences in Lambeth and Putney as well as a hotel in Birmingham.
On June 15, 2021, 15 days before to his arrest by members of the complex investigation team and the central specialised crime command, many complaints mentioning Igwebuike were submitted to the police.
Igwebuike, according to the Metropolitan Police, was running his own football school in the South London neighbourhoods of Stockwell and Putney at the time, working in his own self-appointed capacity as a coach.
Igwebuike, who had no connection to the English Football Association (FA) or any local football team, is accused of having assaulted the teenagers after gaining their confidence by promising to further their careers in football and provide them chances to play the game.
According to the police, at the time the crimes were perpetrated, none of the teenagers were aware that the other teenagers were being abused and believed they were the only ones.
Despite the fact that he was accused of abusing seven teenagers, police said that when the accusations were made, Igwebuike’s prospective victims and witnesses were discussed. Police are now pleading with any further victims to come forward.
According to Detective Constable Elaine Hutton of the Met’s specialised crime department, “Igwebuike committed incredibly significant offences.” The young victims’ lives have been significantly impacted by them, particularly those of their families who supported him and fell prey to his deceit.
“I want to thank everyone for their courage during this inquiry.
“We are interested in learning whether there are any further Igwebuike victims who have not yet come forward.” Police are asking anybody who thinks they were an Igwebuike victim to get in touch with them.