A FOOTBALL club chairman has been suspended after it emerged one of its youth development coaches has been charged with "a number of sexual offences".
Action was taken against Stuart Brown, the chairman of Stirling Albion after the Scottish League Two club's owners claimed they were not told about the allegations against a youth coach which emerged in 2016.
Police confirmed a 21-year-old man was reported for ‘indecent communications’ in February last year.
Stirling Albion Supporters’ Trust (SAST), the club owners, say they were only made aware of the allegations and subsequent police investigation a matter of days ago. It is understood that as a result the trust were not even 100 per cent sure of the identity of the coach and the extent of the allegations.
It has launched an independent inquiry into the "chronology of events to determine why it was not promptly informed".
The SAST say the coach has remained suspended.
The Trust say that at that time, club officials had even notified and sought advice from the Scottish Football Association.
Eight years ago, Stirling Albion became the first Scottish league club to be 100 per cent owned by a fans trust.
An SAST spokesman added: "It is important to make clear that there is no suggestion that either Mr Brown or any other club official has acted illegally or colluded in these alleged offences.
"We note that the club’s child protection policy was reviewed internally in August 2017 to the satisfaction of the youth department.
"However, SAST will now additionally arrange for a thorough independent review of all child protection protocols within the Stirling Albion football family."
Stirling Albion's home ground, Forthbank Stadium.
The club, in a statement, did not refer to the suspension of the chairman but said it recognises the "seriousness of the accusations levelled at one of our suspended youth development coaches."
It also did not divulge how many alleged victims there were.
A club spokesman said: "As soon as the matter was brought to the club's attention, our Child Protection and Wellbeing Policy was triggered and followed stringently."
The club said it sought advice from the Scottish Football Association Child Protection Department to "ensure all national guidance in place at the time was followed".
The spokesman added: "Our duty of care to all involved with Stirling Albion does not waver, and we continue to offer support to all those involved."
A Judiciary of Scotland spokesman said that the allegations relate to "a number of sexual offences" but could not detail anything further.
The Crown Office said the charges were not yet in the public domain and will be available after the case has called.
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