Тус клуб 1980-аад онд ажиллаж байсан ажилтныхаа гарт өртсөн хохирогчтой шүүхээс гадуур нөхөн олговрын гэрээ байгуулжээ.
Манчестер Юнайтед клубийн хуучин бэлтгэлийн бааз болох “Клифф”-д ажиллаж байсан ажилтан Билли Уоттсын үйлдсэн гэмт хэргийн хохирогчтой шүүхээс гадуур тохиролцсоноо зарлалаа. Хохирогч 1986 оны 11 дүгээр сард 14 настай байхдаа бэлгийн дарамтад өртсөн гэх нэхэмжлэлийг өнгөрсөн оны 11 дүгээр сард Дээд шүүхэд гаргасан юм. Уг маргааныг гуравдугаар сард эцэслэн шийдвэрлэсэн бөгөөд клуб ямар нэгэн хариуцлага хүлээхгүйгээр тодорхой хэмжээний нөхөн олговрыг төлсөн байна.
Билли Уоттс нь 1989 онд дотоод сахилгын хурлын дараа “Клифф”-ээс Олд Траффорд цэнгэлдэх хүрээлэн рүү шилжин ажиллаж байгаад удалгүй ажлаасаа гарчээ. Тэрээр 2009 оны 10 дугаар сард нас барсан бөгөөд 2021 онд хөлбөмбөгийн хүрээн дэх бэлгийн хүчирхийллийн асуудлаар хийсэн албан ёсны мөрдөн шалгах ажиллагааны тайланд нэр дурдагдсан юм.
Клубийн зүгээс 2016 онд Уоттстай холбоотой гомдлуудыг Английн хөлбөмбөгийн холбоонд шилжүүлж, Клайв Шелдон тэргүүтэй комиссын мөрдлөгтэй бүрэн хамтран ажилласан гэдгээ мэдэгдлээ. Манчестер Юнайтед-ын төлөөлөгч хэлэхдээ, тус клуб аливаа төрлийн хүчирхийллийн гомдлыг нухацтай авч үзэн, хохирогчдын асуудлыг хүндэтгэлтэйгээр сонсож, хамтран ажилладаг болохоо онцолсон байна.
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Manchester United have reached an out-of-court settlement with one of the people who alleges he was sexually assaulted by a club employee in the 1980s.
Billy Watts was a caretaker at United’s old training ground, the Cliff, where he held a number of other roles, predominantly as a kit man and groundsman. He left the club in 1989, shortly after an internal disciplinary hearing.
Watts, who died in October 2009, was subsequently named in the official inquiry into football’s sexual abuse scandal, published in 2021, after United reported a number of complaints to the investigation team.
In November last year, one of Watts’ alleged victims launched a civil case through the High Court for damages, alleging that he was the victim of a sexual assault, aged 14, at the Cliff in November 1986, shortly after Alex Ferguson’s appointment as manager. Unreported until now, the case was settled in March, without the club admitting any liability, and an undisclosed payout was made. Other clubs have typically paid low five-figure sums, from £10,000 to £20,000, in similar cases.
Watts was the subject of a disciplinary hearing in 1989 that led to him being “redeployed” from the Cliff to work at Old Trafford, United’s home stadium.
United have stated in the past that Watts, then in his 50s, left the club a few months later, apparently to take a job as a cleaner at a police station. The club have no official records relating to the disciplinary hearing, but felt sufficiently concerned to report Watts to the abuse inquiry, led by Clive Sheldon KC, that was commissioned by the English Football Association to deal with the “tidal wave” of complaints that rocked the sport after Woodward’s revelations.
“The club (United) was made aware in 2016 of allegations that in the 1980s the caretaker had made inappropriate comments of a sexual nature, physically pulled an individual into an office against his will, followed an individual into a sauna at the training ground and wrestled with him,” Sheldon’s report states.
“There was also an allegation that the caretaker had tried to touch another individual inappropriately in the showers; that the caretaker was referred to by youth team players as a ‘pervert’. There was a further allegation that the caretaker had tried to touch another boy and, when confronted, had said that ‘I’m only messing, shut up.’ The club referred the matter to the FA in 2016.”
A United spokesperson told The Athletic: “As we said at the time, we cooperated fully with the Sheldon review in an effort to make sure we were as comprehensive on this important matter as we could be. While it would not be appropriate to comment on individuals, we take any allegations of this nature extremely seriously and have met and listened to anyone who has come forward with dignity and respect.”
Манчестер Юнайтед клубын нэр хүндийг буруутгахгүйгээр, хохирогчтой тохиролцоонд хүрсэн нь гэрээнд ямар нэгэн хариуцлага хүлээсэнгүй гэсэн үг үү? Та энэ хэрэг дээр ямар бодолтой байна вэ, илүү нягт мэдээлэл авахыг хүсч байна уу?