A FORMER Crewe Alexandra youth coach from Great Sutton has broken down in tears as he denied sexually abusing a teenage boy.

Paul McCann wept as he told a jury about how he was clearing out his mother's house after her death seven weeks ago when he came across a brown envelope kept in a draw.

The defendant said that inside the envelope he found press cuttings detailing his appearances in court accused of grooming and sexually abusing his alleged victim, Chester Crown Court heard.

The 57-year-old, who denies the alleged offences, told the jury: "I knew she would see stuff, so I explained to my mother what was going on and reassured her. It upsets me because she passed away not knowing..."

The defendant denies four counts of indecent assault between the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Mark Ford, defending, asked McCann how he reacted when police first put the allegations to him.

He replied: "Scared, angry, shocked, in denial. How could this be happening?"

McCann told the jury that as a football-mad teenager he started a youth supporters football team at Crewe Alexandra that became the club's youth team.

He went on to take his FA badges and became part-time coach of the under-16s team.

But he said his alleged victim was not good enough to play for the team so he held no power over the youngster's career prospects.

McCann told the jury he first met the boy's family on holiday abroad and said he became a "surrogate father" to the youngster, who had a difficult home life, "spoiling" him by paying for holidays and taking him on football tours.

"He was what I would call very low maintenance, a happy chappy," he said.

McCann is accused of regularly abusing the youngster, on a trip abroad, then at his home in Crewe and after games at a local squash club.

The alleged abuse ended after McCann's job with oil giant Shell took him to live abroad.

He told the jury he carried on football coaching for different teams, on and off, until three years ago and had coached and refereed "thousands of boys" over the years.

The married father of two confirmed he had never been in trouble with police before and had no criminal record.

Mr Ford continued: "Have you ever touched the complainant in any intimate or inappropriate way at any time?"

"No," McCann replied.

The jury was shown a number of photos of the complainant, some of him without a shirt or in a bath, in various locations, including one at the defendant's home in Crewe in the 1990s, taken from behind with the youngster topless and wearing shorts.

Owen Edwards, prosecuting, said: "Who, other than you, could have taken that photo?"

"I don't know," the defendant replied.

Mr Edwards continued: "You don't accept you were sexually interested in him?

"You don't accept you were besotted with him?"

"No," replied McCann.

Earlier the jury entered not guilty verdicts on two of the counts of indecent assault on the judge's direction.

The trial continues.