Michael Strange, a former Durham CCC coach and scout who abused teenage boys in the 1990s and 2000s, has been jailed for the third time after been found guilty for assaulting a fifth victim.

The sex offender was convicted by a jury at Newcastle Crown Court on Tuesday on nine counts of sexual assault. He denied his guilt.

On Wednesday he was sentenced to four and a half years in prison. The 60-year-old, of Upton Street in Bensham, Gateshead previously received a six-year jail sentence in 2012 for the abuse of three boys going back to the 1990s, and a three-year sentence in 2016 for the abuse of one boy in the early 2000s.

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The fifth victim to come forward was abused by Strange as a teen during the early 2000s. Strange offered the victim lifts home, would sometimes take him to remote locations and forced him to watch pornographic films.

Detective Constable Ryan Askwith, the officer in charge of the case, said: “Strange, once revered as a ‘hero’ in cricket circles, is a dangerous predator that preyed on young boys under his tutoriage.

“I want to praise his victims who have come forward to ensure justice has been carried out.”

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Askwith also encouraged other victims of historical abuse to come forward. “I understand there may well be victims who perhaps might not want to come forward or could feel they have left it too late, this is absolutely not the case,” said Askwith.

“We can still seek justice for those who have suffered and we actively urge victims to speak out.”