Former football coach convicted of further historic sexual abuse on boy in Burgess Hill

71 year-old Robert Michael Blackmore was a volunteer coach in the 1990s.

Author: Harry LongPublished 16th Jan 2023
Last updated 16th Jan 2023

A former children’s football coach has been convicted of further sexual offences committed against young boys in Burgess

71 year-old Robert Michael Blackmore, of High Street, Stockbridge, Hampshire, was a volunteer coach there in the 1990s.

He was convicted in 2004 for 11 counts of indecent assault on boys in the early 1990s, and was jailed for seven years.

Another victim came forward in 2020 and Blackmore admitted six further charges - and was jailed for a further six and a half years.

Detective Constable Chris Smith said: “This case demonstrates the lifelong impact that sexual abuse has on victims.

“Blackmore ingratiated himself with boys families to earn their trust, then abused that trust by committing these crimes.

“The victim showed enormous courage to come forward and report his experiences.

“It shows that Sussex Police takes these reports very seriously, and investigates all reports of sexual offences thoroughly.

“We are pleased that the victim got justice, and hopefully he can begin to move on with his life.”

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.