A 'malignant and opportunistic' predator who abused a number of children between thew 1970s and early 2000s has been jailed.

William Woods appeared at Chester Crown Court today (August 15), where he was sentenced to 31 years.

This comes after the 67-year-old of Lawton Street, Congleton, was found guilty of 57 offences, including inciting children under the age of 14 to commit an act of gross indecency, inciting boys aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity and attempted rape.

Following sentencing, PC Emma Hughes said: "Today's sentencing is the culmination of over half a decade's worth of police work built around the eight individuals at the centre of this case, whom William Woods subjected to a torrent of abuse over a period of 30 years.

"I hope that now, whilst we cannot rewrite the past and undo the horrific actions that this malignant and opportunistic predator committed, the victims can feel a sense of relief that justice has finally been secured for them, with their abuser set to spend the remainder of his days behind bars."

William Woods, 67, of Lawton Street in Congleton (Credit: Cheshire Police)

The court heard that for three decades, between 1976 and 2006, Woods subjected eight children from the Northwich and Crewe areas to a torrent of sexual and physical abuse.

As a football coach in the local area, Woods would regularly be in the company of young people and would establish a position of trust with their parents and garnered an influence among the children themselves.

Woods would then go on to isolate these young people from their families, often taking multiple children on trips out or inviting them to his home, where he would force them to act out his depraved fantasies on himself and each other.

Alongside his campaign of sexual abuse against these children, the jury heard how he locked and left one of his victims in a cupboard for a prolonged period of time.

The case would come to Cheshire Police in 2018, when officers were approached by one of Woods' victims who bravely came forward to disclose the abuse they had suffered.

Officers' subsequent enquiries into this victim's case resulted in the uncovering of seven more victims, all of whom had been sexually and physically abused by Williams Woods at one point between the late 1970s and early 2000s.

Throughout the investigation, Woods was interviewed several times, consistently denying the allegations outright. He was arrested in 2022.

He would tell police that he had never met several of the victims and that the ones he had previously met were lying about being abused.

Despite remaining adamant that he was innocent, William Woods was found guilty of 57 charges against him following a nearly nine-week-long trial which concluded on Tuesday, June 24.

PC Hughes said: "William Woods used his links to young people in the Crewe and Northwich communities to hand-select his victims, gaining the trust of both them and their parents going on to exploit them on trips away, days out, or visits to his home.

"I know the weight of this emotional burden can be very heavy, so I would like to commend every one of Woods' victims for their bravery in speaking to our officers and recalling events that, for some, occurred nearly 50 years ago. Their efforts have been paramount in securing today's sentence.

"Our specialised officers from the Protecting Vulnerable People Unit and Vulnerability Hub take all reports of sexual abuse extremely seriously, regardless of how long ago the offences occurred. In investigations such as this, as with all cases, victims are treated with the utmost respect and their needs will always be placed at the centre of everything we do to achieve justice."