UK soccer coach arrested for child sexual abuse in Indio to stand trial
A youth soccer coach accused of sexually assaulting a young boy on several occasions over the course of two months must stand trial on eight felony counts of committing lewd acts on a child under 14 years old, a judge ruled today.
Stephen William Morgan, a 32-year-old resident of the United Kingdom who’s in the U.S. on an employment visa, allegedly committed the acts on the boy, identified in the criminal complaint as John Doe, between May 1 and July 10, 2017.
Four of the alleged acts occurred at an area restaurant, and one each in a hotel room and on a car ride back from Los Angeles, according to the complaint, which doesn’t specify the cities involved. Prosecutors also filed three counts of possession of child pornography against Morgan earlier this year, but withdrew those charges at Morgan’s preliminary hearing on Tuesday.
Morgan was a coach with UK International Soccer, and had been working in Southern California for the company since September 2016, according to his LinkedIn page.
Following his arrest last year, Alicia Dearn, an attorney with UK International Soccer, said the organization was “shocked and dismayed” to learn of his alleged crimes.
“UKISC unequivocally condemns the mistreatment of a child in any manner. We take these allegations very seriously,” Dearn said.
Dearn also said Morgan was the first to be arrested in the organization’s 27-year history, and led to his immediate removal from the company.
Morgan was taken into custody last September in Redlands by members of the sheriff’s Special Enforcement Bureau and held without bail. He’s set to return to court Dec. 12 for a post-preliminary hearing arraignment.
