Chelsea sex abuse victims fear they will not receive apologies or compensation

Victims who have contributed to the investigation into historical sexual abuse at Chelsea have told i of their growing frustrations and concerns with the process, after receiving letters indicating that the report will be released next month.

Multiple victims, who asked to remain anonymous but shared their letters with i, do not believe that Chelsea will set up any kind of compensation scheme – as Manchester City announced they plan to do – or that they are going to offer apologies to those who were sexually abused by Eddie Heath while they were youth players at the club in the late 1960s and 1970s.

Chelsea sources with knowledge of the review indicated that they were fully committed to offering the support survivors need but intend to let Charles Geekie QC, who has led the independent investigation, complete the report first and then speak to each of the individuals who came forward and find out what they need after they have read it.

Geekie and his team have interviewed more than 100 witnesses, of which more than 20 are survivors of child sexual abuse at the club. It includes accounts from survivors who first met Heath, the club’s former chief scout who died in the 1980s, when they were only 10 years old, and includes events which took place from 1969 to 1978.

Geekie has sent letters to Heath’s victims during the past week respectfully asking for final consent that their witness statements be included in the report, which will run to more than 200 pages, although one victim is still unhappy with the way their account has been recorded. i revealed last year that survivors interviewed as part of the review were critical of its handling.

‘Determined to learn’

The investigation began in November 2016 – two years and eight months ago.

In a 900-word statement released in 2016, Chelsea said they were “determined to learn from this case and will do everything we can to investigate these horrific events. We owe that at the very least to those who suffered unacceptable abuse from the people that were entrusted with their care.”

A Chelsea source explained that they were committed to fulfilling those promises to shine a light into the shadows of the club.

In March, Manchester City confirmed that they would offer millions of pounds in compensation to victims of historical child sex abuse at the club, including six-figure sums to survivors of the most serious crimes. They also said they would issue a personal apology from a club official to all those affected by it.

Last week, Bob Higgins, the former Southampton and Peterborough coach, was sentenced to 24 years in jail for abusing 24 schoolboys from 1971 to 1996. Southampton issued an apology and said they would “start consulting with victims and survivors individually once the police have confirmed that it is acceptable for us to do so”.