Phil Edwards, physiotherapist at Watford FC, engulfed in abuse allegations

We have been instructed in relation to alleged childhood sexual abuse by Phil Edwards while he was a physiotherapist for Watford Football Club in the early 1990’s.

Edwards was arrested in May 2019 on suspicion of child abuse but died a few weeks later, after being bailed by the police so further investigations could take place.

Edwards’ death means that his alleged victims never obtained the closure or justice that they were trying to obtain and those affected, who we have spoken to, feel like this has prevented them from being able to move on with their lives.  The police are unable to continue with their investigations and as a result Edwards will now never be tried in the criminal courts for any alleged abuse offences.  We respectfully note that Edwards has never been found guilty of any criminal offence.

For those that we represent, it is up to us to prove that the allegations against Edwards are true, in order to pursue their civil claims in respect of the abuse.

Survivors of abuse often take decades to disclose what happened to them.  Others may never reveal their experiences.  There are a number of reasons for this, including elements of shame, fear of being believed and concerns of repercussions if they do talk.  Our team are experienced in listening to survivors disclose their experiences and helping them to seek acknowledgement, justice and closure for those events.