Footballer Jesse Lingard testified at his grandfather`s sex abuse trial today, stating he would prevent his daughter from seeing him if the accusations were true.
The former Manchester United player is giving evidence after his grandfather, Kenneth Lingard, 86, was accused of sexually assaulting a woman from the age of five until she was 19.
The woman reported the alleged historical abuse to the police after seeing a Channel 4 documentary that featured Jesse.
The 32-year-old England star had spoken positively about his grandfather`s influence on his career in the program.
Jesse, who flew in from South Korea where he plays for FC Seoul, testified at Liverpool Crown Court that the woman contacted him after the documentary was released.
He quoted her saying: “She was just going on about the documentary and how I let him be part of it when he`s done those things.”
He responded: “I was like `what are you on about, I have not heard nothing about this`.”
Lingard stated the woman informed him she intended to contact the police, to which he replied: “Call them if you want.”
He told jurors she “popped out of nowhere” and it was “kind of random.”
Jesse also testified that he would have “cut ties” with his grandfather immediately if he had known anything about the abuse allegations.
He added: “My daughter wouldn`t be round there. My little sister wouldn`t be round there.”
Lingard, who scored in FC Seoul`s 2-1 loss on Saturday against Gwangju, mentioned that the trial has led to the cancellation of some of his sponsorship deals.
He also told the court that he had lived with his grandparents from the age of two or three and that his grandfather was very supportive of his career.
The footballer stated: “He basically taught me football, taught all the skills, drove me up and down motorways from Liverpool to Manchester, Crewe, Barnsley, Stoke, to watch me play football.
“He`s been the man that`s got me here today.”
Jurors previously heard that the woman messaged Jesse three times on November 18, 2022, after the show aired.
In one message, she wrote: “Shame on you Jesse Lingard. Loads of lies. Your grandad Kenneth Lingard molested and sexually abused me and you know he did.
“You did the documentary for money and to make yourself some kind of mental health ambassador. Well, as you say, I`m speaking out. No more silence.”
In another message, she claimed Jesse was hiding a “dark” secret, alleging his grandfather was a “paedophile” and “child molester.”
She also called the former England star`s late grandmother Pamela an “enabler.”
The woman asserted he had “no right doing that documentary” given that his grandfather had “molested” her for years.
Jurors also heard recordings of calls she made to the police on the day the documentary “Jesse Lingard — The Untold Story” was broadcast.
She asked officers how she could get someone “arrested for child abuse but historic child abuse?”
The woman also told police she “thought it was time to speak out about the abuse I had received” after watching the program.
She added: “It just made me feel ill that he was made out to be such a hero.”
Kenneth Lingard, residing in Warrington, has pleaded not guilty to 17 counts of indecent assault.
The trial is ongoing.
Marcus Bellamy