Former Liverpool and England striker Andy Carroll has revealed he was sexually assaulted by a male friend of his ex-wife in 2021 while he was playing for Newcastle United. The 37-year-old, now player-coach at Dagenham & Redbridge, disclosed the attack in his new book, Owning It, saying he included the account "at the last minute".
Carroll wrote that the abuser, who had been found guilty by a jury after a two-year case and sentenced to three years in prison, was a friend of his ex-wife, Billi Mucklow. The attacker had invited himself to Carroll's home and "took over the kitchen" while Carroll was trying to watch boxing on television.
Attack details and aftermath
According to the book, the man asked for a tour of the house and inquired about a "sex dungeon," prompting Carroll to text his partner, Lou Teasdale, expressing a desire for the man to leave. Carroll described feeling light-headed and suspecting he had been drugged. He later woke to find the man under his duvet attempting to perform a sexual act, at which point he shouted and punched the man before calling the police.
Carroll wrote that he feared he had killed the man, sobbing in the nanny's arms while waiting for police. He described the man regaining consciousness and telling officers that Carroll had hit him for no reason, with his story being that Carroll wanted sex and became angry when refused. Police took swabs and confiscated phones, with Carroll crediting "police forensics" for the outcome.
Trial and sentencing
During the trial, Carroll testified in person, declining the option to give evidence from behind a curtain, which he described as "humiliating and embarrassing and absolutely horrendous." He said he was told that if he did not speak, the man might go on to abuse more children, citing "dodgy messages to young boys" found on his phone. The abuser was found guilty, sentenced to three years in prison, placed on the National Sex Offender Register, and banned from entering the village where Carroll lived.
Carroll wrote that he still copes with the trauma daily, and that Teasdale often researches programmes online to avoid content involving sexual assault. He explained his decision to include the incident in the book: "By owning what happened to me rather than trying to bury it, perhaps I can have some control over it, rather than it controlling me."
