MICHAEL GREEN'S SHOCKING REIGN OF TERROR IN BRIGHTON, CRAWLEY, HAVANT, AND HOVE

In a disturbing case that has spanned decades, Michael Green, an 80-year-old former sports coach and ice hockey instructor from Hove, has been convicted of multiple historic sexual offences against young boys. The revelations about his long-standing predatory behavior have sent shockwaves through the communities of Brighton, Crawley, Havant, and Hove, where he had previously worked and coached.

Green’s latest conviction stems from a nine-day trial at Chichester Crown Court, which concluded on Thursday, July 7. Despite denying the 12 counts of buggery and indecent assault brought against him, the jury found him guilty after considering evidence that spanned nearly 50 years of his alleged misconduct. The following day, Green was sentenced to a substantial term of 17 and a half years in prison, marking a significant chapter in his criminal history.

The new charges relate to offences committed between 1973 and 1993 involving four additional boys. These offences only came to light after the victims, prompted by publicity surrounding Green’s previous convictions, contacted the police to report their experiences. All of the victims were between the ages of 13 and 16 at the time of the abuse.

Green’s interactions with some of these boys began during his employment as an insurance salesman in Brighton, where he met two of the victims. One of these boys, who considered Green a family friend, was abused within his own home, while the other was targeted through Green’s role as an ice hockey coach in Brighton. Green took this second boy to Devil’s Dyke, a well-known local beauty spot, where he committed acts of sexual abuse, including rape, and also assaulted him at Green’s residence.

Further allegations reveal that Green exploited his position as a sports coach at a boarding school in West Sussex to groom and assault two more boys, both of whom were full-time boarders. The court heard detailed accounts of how Green forced these boys to perform sexual acts, with some incidents occurring during school trips to the cinema in Brighton and at the school itself.

Green’s criminal history is extensive. He is already serving a prison sentence of nine years, handed down in September 2018, for 17 counts of indecent assault against seven boys aged between 12 and 16, spanning from 1980 to 1994. These offences were uncovered during an investigation that traced back to a 2011 report of sexual assault in the early 1980s, when Green was living in Nevill Avenue, Hove. During that investigation, three additional victims came forward, leading to Green’s conviction for buggery and indecent assault against multiple boys.

The 2014 convictions further detailed Green’s predatory behavior, which included assaults on boys he met through his involvement with junior cycle speedway clubs in Havant and South London. The court also highlighted a disturbing photograph from 2014 showing Green alongside Roy Whiting, the convicted murderer of Sarah Payne, revealing Green’s role as a mentor to Whiting during their time at Crawley Tigers Cycle Speedway Club. Whiting, who later murdered Sarah Payne in 2000, was also convicted of child sex offences against young boys, many of which Green was implicated in as well.

Detective Constable Dawn Robertson emphasized that Green actively used his involvement in sports to gain access to vulnerable boys, grooming and abusing them over many years. The investigation uncovered that Green’s pattern of offending extended across multiple locations, including Brighton, Havant, and West Sussex, with victims ranging in age from 12 to 16. His connections to other known offenders and his repeated offenses highlight a deeply troubling pattern of predatory behavior that spanned decades.

Green’s history of sexual offences is marked by multiple convictions, including a nine-year sentence in 2014 and previous sentences from 2018. His criminal activities have left a lasting impact on the victims, many of whom have struggled with the emotional and psychological scars of his abuse. The case underscores the importance of vigilance and the need for continued efforts to protect vulnerable children from predators hiding behind seemingly respectable facades in the communities of Brighton, Crawley, Havant, and Hove.