How police and UK Athletics missed warnings as coach jailed for child sex offences

Jeremy Wilson Fri, 16 January 2026 at 3:37 pm UTC·11 min read The path to justice had spanned more than five years but, when the sentencing of prominent athletics coach James Russell for child sex offences finally arrived on Friday, the victim chose to personally deliver her impact statement inside Court Eight. “For the 12 months following the abuse, it was so hard to be alive,” she said. “I was so terrified. I wanted to die, but I didn’t want the pain of dying. So, I used to go to bed every night and say to myself: ‘Please just die in the night and never wake up’. I have nightmares all the time, sometimes I wake up screaming.”Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her testimony is all...