Ex-Chelsea player says club paid him to keep quiet about sex abuse ordeal

A former footballer says Chelsea paid him £50,000 to keep quiet about sexual abuse he says he suffered as a child at the hands of an ex-scout.

Gary Johnson, now 57, told the Daily Mirror that he was abused by Chelsea's former chief scout Eddie Heath when he was a youth player on the books at the London club. Heath died in the late 1980s but Johnson says he signed a confidentiality with Chelsea in 2015, when he also accepted the £50,000 payment from the club - which did not accept any blame at the time. It is understood the club lifted the confidentiality clause this week, allowing Mr Johnson, who was a first team player between 1978 and 1981, to come forward. He says Heath groomed him and began the abuse in 1973, which continued until he was 16 or 17. "When we had summer holiday games, the kit locker was in the changing rooms and he was always there, you thought nothing of it then, but word was going around to be wary of him – but at 12 you did not know what that meant. I was just too young," he said. Johnson says that when he was 13 or 14 he fled to Heath's home after a row with his father, and that Heath put on a pornographic film before abusing him.

"During the course of this three to four years, he got me to perform in threesomes with other boys, so I know there are other victims out there - it is now up to them if they come forward."

On the £50,000 he received from the club, he said: "I think that they were paying me to keep a lid on this.

"I know they asked me to sign a gagging order and how many others are there out there? "They may have paid others for their silence. I hope and pray no clubs are allowed to cover this up – no one should escape justice. We need total transparency now for the good of the game."

This week Chelsea issued a statement on Johnson's case which read:

"The club have retained an external law firm to carry out an investigation concerning an individual employed by the club in the Seventies, who is now deceased. "The club have also contacted the FA to ensure that all possible assistance is provided as part of their wider investigation. This will include providing the FA with any relevant information."

The NSPCC has launched a hotline to allow any young people with concerns to report them. It is available 24 hours a day and can be reached on 0800 023 2642. "There must be no hiding place for sexual abuse in our national game," NSPCC chief Peter Wanless said.

"As this week's revelations have been laid bare, people must be able to speak out and get the help they need, and we know that can often be more difficult for men and boys. "We welcome the FA's commitment to helping those in the game get the help and support they need."

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