Football coach Roy Morris jailed for sex abuse on boys
A football coach from Gloucester has been jailed for five years after being found guilty of sexually abusing five boys over a period of 17 years.
Roy Morris, 46, of Bourton Road, Tuffley, was also banned from working with children for life.
Gloucester Crown Court was told his offences came to light when one of his victims saw a child abuse storyline on BBC One's EastEnders in 2008.
Morris was found guilty of 17 counts of indecent assault and indecency.
He was found not guilty of charges against one of the victims. As well as being jailed, he was ordered to sign the sex offenders register.
Morris worked at Windsor Drive Football Club in Gloucester and his victims were all aged between nine and 14 at the time of the offences, which dated back to 1984.
The jury was told as a result of the initial complaint to police a further five victims came forward.
Det Con Dean Morse, of Gloucester Constabulary, said the force hoped Morris' conviction would provide some comfort to his victims, who had shown "tremendous courage" in coming forward.
"Mr Morris' appalling acts while in positions of trust in the community have shocked everyone.
"Roy Morris coached youth football in Gloucester for many years and obviously came into contact with many thousands of players.
"There is potential there may be other victims that may wish to come forward and I would urge them to seek some form of help even if they don't want to speak to the police.
"There are other support agencies that can assist them."
A Gloucestershire County Council spokesman said Morris was prevented from working with children when the first allegations came to light - and the authority has well-established procedures in place to deal with concerns about people working with children.