Michael ‘Kit’ Carson: ‘Paedophile’ football coach killed after car hits tree on day of trial

Youth coach due to stand trial accused of assaulting 11 boys dead after car crash in Cambridgeshire

Former youth football coach and scout Michael “Kit” Carson has been killed in a car crash on the day he was due to go on trial accused of the sexual abuse of young boys.

Police say the 75-year-old, who used to work at Peterborough United, was the only person in the car when it collided into a tree on the A303 near Bottisham.

The crash happened at 9.45am on Monday, the day his trial was scheduled to begin on historical charges he sexually abused boys under the age of 16.

The case, scheduled to start at Peterborough Crown Court on Monday, will now not take place.

Cambridgeshire Police said the allegations involved 11 victims, all boys under the age of 16, who it is claimed were attacked between 1978 and 2009.

Carson also worked at several other clubs in the professional ranks of English football, including Norwich City and Cambridge United.

Telling the court of the incident on Tuesday, Jeremy Benson, prosecuting, said: “The defendant died yesterday morning.

“He was involved in a road traffic collision at about 9.45am yesterday morning. No other vehicles were involved.

“There is an investigation being carried out and I therefore don’t propose to go into any other details.

“The position is that the car was registered to Mr Carson and the person who died was of the appropriate age and had in his possession identification documents in the name of Mr Carson and also yesterday afternoon at approximately 4.30pm the body was identified by Mr Carson’s widow.”

Carson, of St Bartholomew’s Court, Riverside, Cambridge, had been on bail at the time of the crash.

Cambridgeshire Police said in a statement Carson was driving his red Mazda 3 when it left the road and went into a tree around seven miles east of Cambridge.

A force spokesman said: “Emergency services attempted to save Mr Carson’s life but he was declared dead at the scene a short time later.

“No other vehicle or person was involved in the collision.

“The victims have been informed and efforts are being made to contact all the witnesses.”

Additional reporting by PA