A survivor’s candid account of one of British sports biggest scandal.
A true story of one man’s fight against a broken justice system in England that led to the eventual
conviction of British sport’s most prolific child sex offender, Barry Bennell.
A family holiday led David Lean to a chance encounter with Butlin’s resident football coach Barry
Bennell. It was Bennell who would hold the key to opening David’s door to professional football. He was
an incredible junior coach and loved by boys and parents alike.
By 1980, David had been groomed enough to allow him to go on a two-night trip with Bennell to attend
a football course, where he was then sexually abused. David was just twelve at the time.
When David finally found the strength to disclose the sexual abuse he suffered, he always believed
there would be hundreds more survivors. He was right.
After police investigation, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) found it not in the public interest to
prosecute Bennell. Lean looked for avenues to appeal without success, until he was informed about the
National Child sexual abuse review panel.
Read David’s truth, what really happened, and why it was always in the public interest.
David Lean is now a qualified MBACP counsellor based in Lancashire. David’s true story comes ten years
after English football’s biggest scandal was highlighted in the media. He writes about his fight with the
broken justice system which led to a change in the prosecution guidance to finally convict British sport’s
most prolific child sex offender, changing the face of safeguarding forever. It was always in the public
interest!
David explains: “I wrote this book for many reasons, not least to help find closure, to help increase
awareness of childhood sexual abuse, to highlight the short falls in our justice system, to Improve
safeguarding, to show there is life after abuse, and finally to ensure the real truth was told..”
Buy Here – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Public-Interest-English-Footballs-Biggest-ebook/dp/B0HKJRR2XJ
RELEASE: 28/10/2026 PB ISBN: 9781806346363 PB RRP: £12.99
