Nigeria-born UK football coach jailed 15 yrs for sexually assaulting 7 teenagers
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A Nigeria-born football coach, Emmanuel Igwebuike, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after he was found guilty of sexually abusing seven teenage boys at his former addresses in Lambeth and Putney, as well as at a hotel in Birmingham, the United Kingdom.
Igwebuike’s victims were reportedly between the ages of 14 and 18 years at the time of the crime.
The Inner London Crown Court sentenced Igwebuike, 35, who found guilty on April 22 over sex-related offences were perpetrated between June 2019 and April 2021 after a five-week trial.
He was also handed a lifelong sexual harm prevention order and will also be on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
He was arrested by officers from a multifaceted investigation team and the central specialist crime command.
According to the Metropolitan Police, Igwebuike was at the time acting in a self-appointed role as a football coach in his own football academy based in the Stockwell and Putney areas of South London.
He managed to build a trusting relationship with the boys with promises of furthering their football careers and providing them with football opportunities.
Police said that at the time of the offences being committed, none of the boys knew of abuse to the others and thought they were the only ones being sexually assaulted.
Although he was charged with assaulting seven boys, police said that at the time the allegations were levelled against him, the names of other possible victims and witnesses to Igwebuike’s crimes were mentioned. Police are now urging anyone else who was a victim to come forward.
Detective Constable Elaine Hutton, from the Met’s specialist crime command, said:
“These offences committed by Igwebuike are of an extremely serious nature.
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“They have had a significant impact on the life of the young victims and especially their families who trusted him and were subject to his manipulation.
“I would like to thank them all for their bravery during this investigation.
“We are keen to establish whether there are other victims of Igwebuike who have yet to come forward.
“Anyone who believes they were a victim of Igwebuike is asked to contact police.”
Igwebuike was not affiliated with the English Football Association (FA) or any local football club. Read more.
