According to The Athletic, Manchester United is facing legal action in the High Court over former employee Billy Watts' alleged sexual assault. Watts, who died in 2009, worked as a caretaker, groundskeeper and equipment manager at Manchester Uni...
According to The Athletic, Manchester United is facing legal action in the High Court over former employee Billy Watts' alleged sexual assault.
Watts, who died in 2009, worked as a caretaker, groundskeeper and equipment manager at Manchester United's old training ground at Cliff in the 1980s. A number of allegations against Watts were cited in the Sheldon Inquiry, the FA's independent inquiry into historic child sexual abuse. Manchester United confirmed that he was subject to internal disciplinary action in 1989 and was later transferred from the club's training base.
Lawyers from Simpson Miller LLP, who filed the civil lawsuit last week, claimed that "United failed to protect the plaintiff from abuse while he was in the custody and supervision of the club." They also claim that the club's "refuse to engage constructively in the legal process to date" has left their clients with "no choice" but to initiate formal legal proceedings.
It is unclear whether the claimant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is a youth training player of the club, but during the relevant time period, no player with the same name as him played in the first team of the Football League.
Kate Hall, an expert in abuse law at Simpson Miller LLP, said: "Our client has shown tremendous courage in coming forward years later. He, like many victims, has been forced to relive extremely painful memories in order to seek justice."
"While United contributed to the Sheldon review report, Their handling of this legal action is disappointing. Survivors need more than sympathy, they deserve meaningful engagement and accountability."
Although Watts was not named in the Sheldon review, the 700-page report mentioned multiple allegations against "one of United's interim coaches, who is now deceased." The independent inquiry was launched in 2016 after former Crewe Alexander defender Andy Woodward told of years of sexual abuse against him by pedophile coach Barry Bennell.
The report states: "The club learned in 2016 that in the 1980s the caretaker had made sexually suggestive inappropriate comments, forced a man into an office, followed a man into a training ground sauna and struggled with him."
"There were also allegations that a steward attempted to touch another man inappropriately in a shower; youth team members called the steward a 'pervert'. There were also allegations that a steward attempted to touch another man Boy, when questioned, he said 'I was just kidding, shut up'."
"The club referred the matter to the Football Association in 2016. The club discovered that there was an investigation into the interim manager in the 1980s (not related to these accusations), and he was transferred from the club's training base to the club's home ground."
Watts left the team a few months after being transferred. In 1988, he appeared in Manchester United's official yearbook. His profile reads: "We have never been able to figure out what Billy does! In short, he always seems to be busy and is now almost a regular visitor to our main training base 'The Cliff'."
Manchester United declined to comment.
In 2019, when the allegations against Watts emerged publicly, United said: "We have cooperated fully with the Shelton Review Committee to ensure we are as thorough as possible on this important matter.
"This has included an extensive investigation and the conduct of numerous interviews based on the findings of the review. Interviewees include a former employee who disciplined a previous caretaker in the 1980s, as well as other current and former employees who worked at the club in the 1970s and 1980s. "
"All interviewees have given their full cooperation and information relating to the former interim manager has been included in United's submissions to the review body. Ascertaining the facts from historical allegations is never easy and their report will include any issues the review panel considers relevant to United. "
