JOHN O’NEIL FROM NEWMILNS ADMITS TO ABUSING SCHOOLBOYS IN EAST KILBRIDE FOOTBALL SCANDAL

In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Newmilns and the wider East Kilbride area, John O’Neil, a man with no formal coaching credentials, has confessed to abusing two young boys during his time posing as a football coach. The incidents, which occurred approximately twenty years ago, involved the exploitation of two 12-year-old boys at locations including Duncanrig Secondary School and Dunedin Pavilion in East Kilbride.

O’Neil, now aged 52, pleaded guilty in Hamilton Sheriff Court to two counts of lewd, indecent, and libidinous practices directed at the young victims. The court was told that the abuse took place in a confined toilet cubicle, where O’Neil instructed the boys to strip down to their underwear under the pretense of measuring their bodies for new football strips. The court heard that the victims were made to stand in a cramped space, feeling embarrassed and humiliated as O’Neil measured their chests and from their crotch to their ankles, all while they were naked.

The court proceedings revealed that O’Neil had initially been reported for similar allegations back in 1997. However, at that time, the accusations were not substantiated, and he avoided prosecution. It was only after a recent investigation into football coaches across Scotland, prompted by new information, that authorities revisited the case. This led to O’Neil being re-interviewed at Kilmarnock Police Station on May 2 of this year.

During the police interview, O’Neil admitted that he had no formal coaching qualifications and claimed to have no memory of the incidents in question. Despite his claims of amnesia, the evidence and victim testimonies led to his being charged with the offences. The prosecution detailed how O’Neil had placed an advertisement in a local newspaper seeking boys around the age of 12 to join a youth football team he intended to coach. He described himself as a ‘self-taught’ coach with no previous training or experience.

The court also heard that O’Neil’s methods involved gathering the boys together to measure them for football strips, then taking each boy separately into a private changing area. The victims were instructed to remove their tracksuits, T-shirts, and underwear, which caused them significant embarrassment. One of the boys was so distressed that he confided in someone about the incident.

O’Neil’s case has been adjourned until November 20 for the preparation of background reports. He has been released on bail and has been placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register in the meantime, pending sentencing. The case has brought to light serious concerns about safeguarding and the exploitation of young boys under the guise of sports coaching in the community of East Kilbride and beyond.