The grandfather of former England and Manchester United footballer Jesse Lingard has appeared in court accused of historic child sexual offences.
Ken Lingard, a Warrington resident and ex-gymnastics coach, is facing trial over allegations that he sexually abused a girl for 15 years, starting when she was five-years-old
The alleged victim reported the behaviour to the police after seeing a Channel 4 documentary celebrating Jesse Lingard’s footballing achievements. In the documentary, “praise was heaped” on the now 86-year-old defendant, reports the Echo.
The documentary was said to have acted as the “catalyst” for her to report the long-standing abuse, claiming that the midfielder “had no right doing the documentary when he knew his grandad had molested her for years”.
The accused pensioner has denied the accusations.
Liverpool Crown Court heard today, Friday, that Ken Lingard, of Northway in the Cheshire town, regularly sexually abused his alleged victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, by touching her to the breasts, vagina and bottom.
Benjamin Aina KC told a jury of seven men and five women, as well as two reserve jurors, in the prosecution’s opening: “Jesse Lingard’s name will feature in this trial. I am going to ask you, please, from the outset, to focus on the evidence and not to be distracted by any celebrity background.
“What matters in this trial is your assessment of the truthfulness of the witnesses that will appear in front of you or be read to you, and your assessment of the accuracy of the witnesses that will appear in front of you. If you focus on those two factors, those two principles, truthfulness and accuracy, you will come to the correct decision in this case, whatever that decision is.
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