Convicted paedophile Barry Bennell was believed to be receiving treatment in hospital on Monday after police were called to a ‘welfare incident’ at a hotel. The 62-year-old is understood to have been found unconscious and not breathing at the Novotel Hotel in Stevenage, Herts, on Friday night. He was taken to Lister Hospital in Stevenage, Herts, where he remains.
On Monday, Thames Valley Police, who are investigating fresh allegations of child abuse against him, refused to confirm or deny whether Bennell was involved.
A spokesman for the force said: “Police officers attended an address in Knebworth Park, Stevenage just before 11pm on Friday in connection with a fear for welfare incident.
“A 62-year-old man was located and was taken to hospital to receive medical treatment, where he remains.”
Officers from the Hertfordshire Constabulary also attended the incident on Friday night.
Bennell was last seen by a neighbour at his address at Milton Keynes, Bucks, last week shortly before he was faced fresh allegations that he sexually abused boys while working as a football coach.
The former youth scout and junior football coach served three prison terms for child abuse but is now at the centre of a new child abuse scandal after former footballers outed him as their abuser.
A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance service confirmed that they were called at 10.50pm on Friday. He said: “We got a call on Friday at 10.50pm to a report of an unconscious man in Knebworth Park in Stevenage.”
On Thursday officers from Thames Valley Police removed items and a dog from Bennell’s home.
On Monday, neighbours confirmed a marked police car had been stationed outside his home over the weekend and an unmarked police car was at the scene.
Bennell worked at Crewe Alexandra in the 1980s and 1990s and also had a close association with Stoke City and Manchester City, as well as with a number of junior teams in Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire and Greater Manchester.
He ran summer holiday camps in the UK – including at Butlins – as well as youth football tours and summer soccer camps in the US. Bennell is believed to suffer ill health.
Source: Telegraph UK
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