Footballer Jesse Lingard’s grandfather, Kenneth Lingard, has passed away while awaiting a retrial for several alleged child sex offenses. The 87-year-old was accused of sexually abusing a girl starting from the age of five, with two counts of indecent assault cleared by the jury, but verdicts remaining undecided on 15 other counts.
Prosecutor Benjamin Aina KC informed the court on June 15 that Kenneth Lingard had passed away on June 10, and a death certificate had been presented. Scheduled for a retrial in May, the proceedings were postponed to the following year due to his hospitalization.
The initial trial revealed that the complainant reported historic allegations to the police in November 2022 after Jesse Lingard discussed his grandfather in a documentary. The woman messaged Lingard, alleging abuse by Kenneth Lingard. Lingard, then playing for FC Seoul in South Korea, flew back to the UK to testify in defense of his grandfather last April.
Denying any knowledge of the alleged abuse, Lingard stated in court that he would have distanced himself from his grandfather had he been aware of such actions. Lingard, now with Brazilian team Corinthians, emphasized that the reported assaults never occurred.
Addressing the court, Judge Katherine Pierpoint mentioned the legal implications following Kenneth Lingard’s passing, indicating that existing indictments would no longer hold unless proven otherwise. This development has significant implications for the case moving forward.
