MIDDLESBROUGH Football Club has distanced itself from a former mascot unmasked as a child sex offender.
Anthony McGrath previously played the part of ‘Roary the Lion’ – the club’s official mascot – on matchdays.
On Monday, he was jailed for nine years at Teesside Crown Court after a judge heard how McGrath, a junior football club coach, befriended young children and invited them to his home where they were sexually assaulted.
Some of his victims made statements in which they said they had warned the club “in vain” about McGrath’s activities.
The 41-year-old, formerly of Thornton Street, North Ormesby, Middlesbrough, admitted a string of sexual offences against six complainants over a 16-year period from the early 1990s.
A spokesman for Middlesbrough Football Club said: “[We] are aware of the police investigation into the conduct of a former employee and the subsequent court proceedings.
“MFC can confirm that on the basis of the information provided to them the alleged activities have no direct connection to the individual’s activities as an employee of [the club].”
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