Section:GDN 1N PaGe:44 Edition Date:190807 Edition:01 Zone: Sent at 6/8/2019 20:35 cYanmaGentaYellowbl
Independent inquiry into
scandal reveals findings
Dario Gradi’s long career could be
ending in disgrace after an inde pendent
inquiry into the football sexual-abuse
scandal concluded that he had infor-
mation that might have stopped one
serial off ender who is now feared to
have preyed on more than 25 victims.
According to the fi ndings of a two-
and-a-half-year investigation, Gradi
failed to report Eddie Heath when they
worked together at Chelsea in the early
1970s despite receiving a complaint
that his colleague had indecently
assaulted one boy in the showers.
Instead, Gradi, as Chelsea’s assistant
mana ger, visited the boy’s parents and
admits in his own evidence that he did
not want the matter to go any further.
“I’d got no intention of getting Eddie
Heath into trouble,” he says.
Heath, the club’s chief scout, went
on to abuse boys for many years,
with 23 complaints from boys within
Chelsea’s youth system, one from a
school team and another relating to
when he was working for Millwall.
Gradi, currently suspended by the
Football Association and also facing
significant questions about the
Barry Bennell scandal at Crewe , has
subsequently been accused by Charles
Geekie, the QC who was appointed
by Chelsea to oversee the inquiry,
of giving “somewhat unlikely and
unconvincing” evidence.
“Mr Gradi is the single example of a
clear account of an adult in a position
of responsibility being informed about
an allegation in relation to Mr Heath,”
Geekie’s 252-page report states. “The
complaint ... was not referred to more
senior members of the club and an
opportunity to prevent Mr Heath from
going on to abuse others was lost.
“The very purpose of this review
is to shine a light on matters such as
this. The events involving Mr Gradi are
central to the purpose of this review.
There is, I consider, a sig nificant
public interest in matters such as
this being brought fully and
openly into view. I considerThe Guardian
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Page 43
Gradi could
have stopped
serial sex
abuser
at Chelsea
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Page 42 Daniel Taylor▲ Dario Gradi
was accused
of giving
unconvincing
evidence40 Kean
support
Everton fans
back new
signing in his
racism fi ght
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