Stalkers, sex offenders and violent criminals in England Boxing mentoring roles prompt Sport England probe

The Daily Mail reported that England Boxing has allowed individuals with criminal records to coach and officiate the sport’s youth, raising safeguarding concerns. The investigation identified cases involving stalking, sexual offences and violent crime among affiliated officials and coaches. Sport England, the government body that funds the sport, said the allegations are very serious and has opened a formal probe into England Boxing. England Boxing did not respond to requests for comment.

Under England Boxing policy, an enhanced DBS check is required for all coaches and referees, renewed every three years. However, whistleblowers say that once a conviction is reported, the decision to exclude a person from affiliation rests with a small internal panel rather than with a formal safeguarding process. The organisation’s own records, reviewed by the Mail, show several cases where serious misconduct did not lead to immediate removal from roles. A single, independent mechanism for safeguarding is described as lacking in practice, according to those familiar with the process.

Paul Rosendale, a former Royal Army sergeant, was kicked out of the Armed Forces for sexual offences before becoming a boxing referee affiliated with England Boxing. He later pursued a female official for a threesome and was reprimanded for pestering a different colleague at an England Boxing training course in September 2022, both in person and via messages. A court martial previously convicted him of misconduct, and he served 11 months in prison. England Boxing subsequently affiliated Rosendale as a referee, and he continued to officiate at high levels until a disciplinary hearing earlier this year led to a ten-week suspension and, ultimately, a permanent ban for disciplinary reasons.

Brian Alvin Finch, a referee, sexually assaulted a female boxing official during a National Amateur Championships trip in 2023. The incident occurred in the presence of three witnesses who provided statements to an England Boxing disciplinary panel. Finch was found to have groped the woman without consent while drinks were in circulation. The panel noted his long service to the sport and described the act as a momentary lapse in judgment, issuing a three-month ban. Because he had already been suspended for three-and-a-half months prior to the disciplinary hearing, he was allowed to return to officiating immediately. England Boxing publicly applauded his decades in the sport despite the findings.

Ritchie Fox, founder of Ashfield Spartans Boxing Club in Nottinghamshire, is a convicted stalker who was jailed for about six-and-a-half years in 2014 for a campaign of harassment against his ex-partner. He admitted stalking and perverting the course of justice, including sending thousands of messages, following her to events and even contacting her mother with threats. Fox, who has since been nominated as boxing coach of the year by Boxing England, remains in coaching roles at his club, where other bios reveal histories of criminal offending and drug use. The Mail’s review notes that Fox’s own statements on his club site downplay his past and describe how he served prison time.

Sean Martin, a coach described as a violent career criminal, has been head coach at Kings Amateur Boxing Club in Cheltenham. The committee documented 26 convictions across 68 offences, including an assault in 2019 described by the judge as an “utterly cowardly” attack delivered from behind. He also caused damage to property in the same episode. Despite the severity of his record, Martin remains in a coaching position, and a recent interview with a local outlet confirmed his ongoing affiliation with England Boxing, though it is not clear what sanctions, if any, have been imposed by the national body.

Mick Driscoll, another England Boxing coach, was convicted in 2019 of two counts of sexual assault against the same woman. The assaults occurred during a stay associated with the England Boxing National Schools Championships in Crawley. The victim testified that Driscoll barged into her hotel room, pinned her to a wall and kissed her, and later groped her again. He was acquitted on a third count. Driscoll, who oversaw the development of more than 100 national champions, was dismissed by England Boxing amid the allegations and ongoing scrutiny surrounding safeguarding within the sport.

Whistleblowers described the lack of robust safeguards as endemic, arguing that those who report safeguarding concerns face institutional obstacles. They point to a system in which disclosures about a coach’s criminal past can be filtered by a small panel with internal ties, rather than referred to independent safeguarding authorities. The Mail also notes that there are ongoing cases involving other members charged with sex offences against children, with at least nine coaches suspended for safeguarding reasons pending further inquiries, including Quinton Shillingford, a boxing figure with ties to Boxing GB and England teams and an MBE for services to boxing.

Dr James Newman, a sport and exercise psychologist specializing in safeguarding at Sheffield Hallam University, said the findings highlight a continuation of maltreatment and abuse in sport that is still normalized. He warned that ongoing cases suggest culture-wide issues, emphasizing the need for structural changes to ensure safeguarding is treated as a core priority rather than a compliance checkbox. He added that cultural interventions are necessary at the level of individuals, organizations and the sport as a whole to create physically and psychologically safe environments for victims.

Sport England issued a statement saying the allegations are very serious and encouraging anyone with concerns to report illegal activity to the police. The agency said it is in contact with England Boxing regarding the matter and stressed the importance of safeguarding in funded sports.

The scale of these revelations raises questions about how safeguarding gaps are perceived and addressed within boxing and, more broadly, how sport governing bodies manage risk when allegations surface. The Mail’s reporting suggests a disconnect between the safeguarding standards that are publicly stated and the practical realities faced by athletes and officials at various levels of the sport. England Boxing faces pressure to clarify its safeguarding procedures, tighten oversight of mentors and coaches, and provide transparent accountability pathways so that vulnerable participants can be protected and confidence in the sport’s leadership can be restored.