Coach 'threatened with knife'

Mr Ormond coached young players

A former football coach accused of molesting young players has claimed he was forced at knifepoint to apologise to one of them while being secretly taped.

George Ormond, 46, of Whickham View, Newcastle, has denied 15 counts of indecent assault in which he is alleged to have abused seven males between 1975 and 1999.

Newcastle Crown Court has heard how five of his alleged victims were under the age of 16.

The jury heard how Mr Ormond, who once worked part-time for five years with Newcastle United, used his standing in the game to get youngsters under his power.

He was trying to get me to admit things that just had not happened

George Ormond
Defendant

Earlier this week the jury was played a secretly-recorded tape in which Mr Ormond apparently apologises to one of his alleged victims for touching the man - now in his 30s - when he was a gifted teenage footballer.

After the prosecution finished its case on Thursday the jury was directed to find him not guilty on two of the 15 counts while another was reduced to attempted indecent assault.

Mr Ormond - who now faces 12 allegations of indecent assault - told the court that nothing untoward had ever happened with any of the youngsters.

He told how one man arrived at his home more than 10 years after the alleged indecency and demanded to know why he had molested him.

Produced knife

Mr Ormond said: "He seemed a bit nervous and shaky and I got the impression he had been drinking.

"He was fiddling with the inside of his jacket pocket and started off a conversation about what had happened years ago.

"He was trying to get me to admit things that just had not happened.

"At a later stage I realised he had produced a knife from his sleeve.

"I just played along with it and was trying to distract him.

"My only concern was to get him out of the house and I did not mention the knife.

"I did not get the police involved because I thought it was something I could handle myself."

The hearing was adjourned until Friday.