July 2018 Former football coach jailed for abusing boys A former coach who abused boys at a Greater Manchester sports centre has been jailed for seven years. Michael Coleman, 75, of Glaister Lane, Bolton was sentenced at Bolton Crown Court after an investigation into non-recent sexual abuse in sport. Coleman, who was the manager of Westhoughton Sports Centre in the 1980s, was found guilty of three counts of indecent assault. Police praised Coleman’s victims for their bravery in giving evidence. The court heard that Coleman insisted boys at the centre showered after playing football and would regularly shower with them while staring at them all. One of the boys, who was about 12 at the time, said Coleman followed him out of the shower and exposed himself before forcing him to engage in a sexual act. A second victim reported Coleman had sexually assaulted him on a number of occasions when he was around 12 or 13. Another victim was touched inappropriately by Coleman when he offered physiotherapy while he was suffering from an injury. The victim did not realise the severity of the situation until many years later, police said.