WILLIAM TONER ROCHDALE FOOTBALL SCOUT JAILED FOR ABUSING BOY IN HIS OWN BEDROOM
In July 2018, a disturbing case emerged involving William Toner, a man from Rochdale, who was convicted of abusing a teenage boy over a period of three years in his own home.The abuse was carried out under the false pretense of being a football scout for Manchester City, a claim that the club has since denied ever being associated with.
Toner, now aged 74, exploited the trust of the young football hopeful and his family, leading to a lengthy and traumatic ordeal for the victim.
According to court proceedings, Toner approached the boy, who was then 12 years old and playing for a local youth football team, along with his father.
He claimed to have connections with Manchester City and offered to provide one-on-one coaching sessions.
The boy’s parents believed Toner’s story, thinking he might help their son develop his football skills and possibly advance his career.
Toner, who was in his 50s at the time, quickly became a familiar figure to the family, and he began taking the boy for regular training sessions.
However, the relationship took a sinister turn when Toner suggested that after training, he would give the boy a 'rub down' to relax his muscles.
These sessions, which took place in the boy’s bedroom while his parents were downstairs, became the setting for repeated indecent assaults.
Over the course of three years, until the boy turned 15 and refused further massages, Toner subjected him to sexual abuse during these private moments.
The court heard that Toner engineered the situation to ensure privacy, taking advantage of the trust placed in him by the family.
The victim, now in his 30s, provided a heartfelt statement describing the lasting impact of the abuse.
He explained that the trauma had severely affected his confidence and caused him to feel immense shame.
He described his life since the abuse as living in a self-created prison, unable to share his pain until he finally disclosed the abuse in 2016, prompted by the wider revelations about sexual misconduct in football.
After coming forward, he contacted Manchester City, which directed him to the NSPCC and police authorities for support and investigation.
Further details revealed that William Toner, originally from the Manchester area, had a complex personal history.
He was married and had three children while living in the Cambridge area.
In the early 1990s, he publicly came out as gay.
His criminal record includes a conviction in 1992 for indecent assault on a 13-year-old boy, for which he was on probation when he moved back north and resumed coaching youth football.
Additionally, Toner had a prior conviction in 1983 for gross indecency involving young boys, and in 2001, he was sentenced to 12 months in prison for abusing another 15-year-old boy.
During the sentencing at Bolton Crown Court, Judge Richard Gioserano described the case as a grave betrayal of trust.
He sentenced Toner to 38 months in prison on each of the four counts of indecent assault, to be served concurrently.
The judge emphasized that Toner’s actions were driven by a desire for sexual gratification, exploiting the boy’s potential and innocence under the guise of helping him in football.
The psychological scars inflicted on the victim remain profound, and the court acknowledged the lasting damage caused by Toner’s predatory behavior.
