David Eatock is the latest footballer to come forward with allegations about his coach [Image: David Eatock].

She says what happened doesn’t matter anything like as much as who is making the complaint – and This Writer can see her point.

High-profile people like professional footballers benefit from the trust of the media – and, presumably, investigators.

But if the allegation is made by an ordinary member of the public – against a public figure – then the story is different.

The recent collapse of the Operation Midland inquiry due to questions over the credibility of its key witness has led to claims that victims should no longer be automatically believed.

That may seem like common sense to you – anybody’s allegations should be tested, right?

But it also means that it will be easier for those with something to hide to attack the credibility of people who are naturally likely to be highly nervous of authority figures and under extreme stress, simply from coming forward.

And of course, if you are making a historic child sex abuse claim against another member of the public, your chances of being believed have always been low – especially if the allegation is against somebody who has a good relationship with the police.

Mrs Mike has personal experience of that, which means that This Writer has first-hand experience of it as well.

For that matter, how many allegations of sexual abuse and/or rape carried out against adult women actually end in a successful prosecution? I’ll tell you: one-fifteenth – and that’s one-fifteenth of the three-seventeenths of rapes that are actually reported (according to figures that are – I’m sorry to say – several years old).

Don’t mistake me – any investigation that puts a paedophile in jail is welcome.

It’s just a shame our society refuses to apply the same standards to everybody.

A former Newcastle United footballer has become the latest to say he was abused by coach George Ormond.

David Eatock told the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire show he had been groomed by Ormond, later to be jailed for six years, between the ages of 18 and 21.

Mr Eatock, now 40, was not part of the court case that saw Ormond convicted in 2002 for assaulting seven boys, but has now filed a complaint to the police.

He said he had left the club “a shell” of his former self.

It comes as the NSPCC said its hotline – set up to offer support to victims of child sex abuse within football – had received 860 calls in its first week.

Within the first three days of it launching, the organisation made more than 60 referrals to a range of agencies across the UK.

Source: Football child sex abuse: Ex-Newcastle player David Eatock latest to speak out – BBC News

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