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A review found that Durham’s failure to contact abuse victims or review safeguarding procedures is “a matter of concern” despite the former coach being convicted of child sex crimes on multiple occasions.
The county have issued an apology following the publication of an independent review into the offending by Michael Strange, 65, who as well as coaching local clubs in the north-east, also worked as a junior coach and discovered Durham’s talent route. gateshead The area from the mid-1990s to the beginning of the next decade.
Strange was previously convicted of 34 separate offenses of indecent assault, rape and gross indecency against 10 victims between 1993 and 2004. Northumbria Police Officials contributing to the independent review published Tuesday believe the true extent of Strange’s abuse is in the “hundreds” of instances.
The review concluded that although no one knew at the time that he was sexually abusing boys, Strange’s peers at his clubs had failed and durham To “connect the dots” or challenge inappropriate behavior, such as the well-known fact that he possessed pornographic material and shared it with young players.
There was also criticism of a “lack of retrospective recognition” on Durham’s part when his offending became widely known through media reporting.
The review said, “While many of the details of the abuse committed by MS (Strange) were in the public domain, he did not recognize the opportunity to learn from what had happened, nor his responsibilities in relation to his victims and their potential need for support.”
“No evidence was found that safeguarding policies and procedures were the subject of internal review, nor was any consideration being given to reaching out to victims. It is surprising that the MS case was not the catalyst for an internal review of policies and procedures by clubs and counties.
“As it stands, more than 12 years after MS’s initial conviction, the fact that neither the club nor the county board has accepted the opportunity to learn from the case, and to ensure that the needs of victims are being addressed, is a matter of concern.”
Durham said in a statement: “Our immediate thoughts are with the victims and those affected by the appalling conduct of Michael Strange. We apologize that this happened within our game and it is something everyone is aware of and working hard to prevent happening again.”
The review found evidence that Strange had behaved “abusively” towards young players while coaching Durham junior teams at festivals in other parts of the country.
While the review acknowledged that his relationship with Durham had been exaggerated by Strange, the offending was used as his “ace in the pack”, as it had helped him impress young players and their parents.
The review found that the decision to permanently disqualify Strange from any and all cricket activity in April 2006, even after the criminal complaint was withdrawn, was “right and prudent”.
However, it highlighted a failure to effectively communicate that disqualification, which enabled Strange to still attend matches at his local club. A county child welfare officer, umpiring a match, was challenged after seeing Strange “wandering around the field and then entering the clubhouse before coming out with a glass of beer”.
None of the crimes of which Strange was later convicted occurred in the period following his disqualification.
The review made a number of recommendations, including the formulation of a national policy clarifying how, when and in what circumstances alleged victims of abuse in the cricket context should be contacted by the ECB and the cricket regulator, without compromising the primacy of any criminal investigation.
It also recommended that clubs should review their safeguarding policies after any person has been convicted of a safeguarding offence, where that person was a former member, volunteer or other participant of that club.
Richard Gould, the ECB chief executive, said: “Everyone should be able to take part in cricket safely, and our first thoughts today are with those who have been harmed by Michael Strange. We are sorry that this happened to you within our game.”
“It is more than 20 years since Strange was suspended from cricket and while the review recognizes that there has been considerable development in security understanding, policies and practices since then – both within cricket and across society more broadly – we will never be complacent. This review highlights the importance of everyone being able to recognize and act on concerning behaviour.
“We are constantly developing and strengthening our safeguarding work as well as the education we deliver in the game, and the review’s findings and recommendations will inform our continued work. By learning from this horrific case, we can keep people safer today.”