The Daily Telegraph - 07.08.2019

The Daily Telegraph Wednesday 7 August 2019 *** 5

Geoff Hurst

refused to take

part in Chelsea

abuse inquiry

By Bill Gardner

SIR GEOFF HURST was facing ques-
tions last night after senior figures at
Chelsea Football Club were accused of
“turning a blind eye” to child sex abuse.
England’s World Cup-winning hero
repeatedly refused to cooperate with a
two-and-a-half-year inquiry into a pae-
dophile football coach who sexually as-
saulted young players, it emerged.
Charles Geekie QC’s report found
that “dangerous and prolific child
abuser” Eddie Heath abused at least 25
boys during the Seventies. Senior fig-
ures at the club, including then-assis-
tant coach Dario Gradi, were aware of
Heath’s behaviour but failed to inter-
vene, the barrister said.
Sir Geoff, meanwhile, refused to be
formally interviewed over his reasons
for sacking Heath months after becom-
ing Chelsea manager in 1979.
Last night the 77-year-old broke his
silence, telling The Daily Telegraph that
he never heard “any untoward allega-
tions in respect of Mr Heath until a few
years ago”.
The full 252-page Geekie report
paints a harrowing picture of Heath, re-
vealing how he targeted vulnerable
boys, earned their trust, lured them
into his van, his home and hotel rooms,
and sexually abused them – then used
“fear to secure silence”.
Heath had been coaching at Chelsea
for more than a decade when Sir Geoff
was appointed manager in the spring
of 1979. Months later, the World Cup
winner sacked him.
At an action for unfair dismissal, Sir
Geoff said he had dismissed Heath for
poor performance, but evidence was
recorded as “strangely meagre on both
sides”, the Geekie report reveals.
In response to a letter inviting him
for an interview, the 78-year-old called
back to explain that he had sacked
Heath for footballing reasons and had
no other “relevant information”.
A second request was met with an
answerphone message, in which Sir
Geoff said he did “not wish to get in-
volved in anything with this matter”.
A third and final letter was then sent
to Sir Geoff stressing “the importance

World Cup winner declined

to be interviewed about

why he sacked paedophile

coach Eddie Heath in 1979

SANDRA ROWSE/REX

Shamed former

MP struck off

as a solicitor

By Steve Bird

FIONA ONASANYA, the dis-
graced former Labour MP
jailed for perverting the
course of justice, has been
struck off as a lawyer.
The 35-year-old former
Peterborough MP was
barred from practising law
after a Solicitors Disciplinary
Tribunal (SRA) found she
had acted dishonestly by try-
ing to avoid a speeding fine.
The one-time Labour
whip was jailed in January

for three months after being
convicted at the Old Bailey
for perverting the course of
justice. Her brother, Festus,
who helped her try to cover
up the crime, was jailed for
10 months after pleading
guilty to the same charge.
Onasanya qualified as a
solicitor in 2015 and worked
in property law until her
election in June 2017, six
weeks before her Nissan Mi-
cra was filmed speeding at
41 mph in a 30 mph zone in
Thorney, Ca mbs. She denied

driving the car, instead tell-

ing police a Russian man

lodging at the family home

had been behind the wheel.

However, it emerged he was

in Russia at the time of the

offence.

The tribunal found the

crime meant she had failed

to meet the professional de-

mands required of a solicitor

and had acted without integ-

rity and failed to uphold the

rule of law or behave in a

way that would maintain the

public’s trust.

Edward Nally, the chair-

man, said: “The conviction

has led to disastrous conse-

quences for Miss Onasanya,

both personally and profes-

sionally as a solicitor, albeit

not a practising solicitor.”

Onasanya maintained her

innocence during the hear-

ing, despite an appeal

against her conviction fail-

ing. She declined to com-

ment as she left the court

with her mother, Paulina.

Onasanya was ordered to

pay £6,562 costs to the SRA.

Following her conviction,

she was booted out of the La-

bour Party but served as an

independent MP. She served

just 28 days of a three-month

sentence. She was kicked

out of Parliament after more

than 19,000 of her constitu-

ents voted to oust her fol-

lowing her conviction.

The tribunal

heard Fiona

Onasanya’s

conviction had

‘disastrous’

consequences

News

of this issue”, but to no avail. The report

concludes that Sir Geoff was among a

number of potential witnesses who

“could have provided valuable infor-

mation” to the inquiry but chose not to.

After his sacking from Chelsea,

Heath went on to work at Charlton Ath-

letic Football Club, where he is said to

have abused a number of other young

players before his death in 1983.

In a statement, Sir Geoff said: “I was

interviewed by the powers-that-be via

telephone and told them exactly what

happened when I sacked Eddie Heath.

I saw no reason to meet in person to re-

peat the same facts.”

A spokesman for Chelsea said: “The

board wishes to thank all the survivors

and witnesses who came forward ...

and the club apologises unreservedly

for the terrible past experiences of

some of our former players.”

Eddie Heath

photographed

in the Seventies

‘I was

interviewed

... via

telephone

and said

exactly what

happened

when I

sacked Eddie

Heath. I saw

no reason to

meet to

repeat the

same facts’

Sir Geoff Hurst was

appointed manager

at Chelsea Football

Club in 1979,

months after which

he sacked Eddie

Heath as coach

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