Gary Speed was 'coached by paedophile' as a child In January, an inquest heard that the former Leeds and Newcastle played had argued with his wife, Louise, on the night of his death and had been struggling with the pressures of his post as the Wales manager. He had sent Mrs Speed a text message suggesting he might commit suicide just days before he was found hanging in the garage of their Cheshire home. The coroner returned a narrative verdict after deciding it was impossible to determine whether the 42-year-old had intended to end his life. Mrs Speed's lawyers, Harbottle & Lewis, denied that his death was linked to Bennell. In a statement given to The Sunday Times Magazine, they said: "Whilst Gary Speed knew Mr Bennell through football connections, he was not a 'victim' and thus played no part in the investigation. The Speed family have been assured that the police investigation at the time was exceptionally thorough and there is no legitimate reason to link Mr Bennell to Mr Speed. Bennell is alleged to have invited several boys to his home, on the edge of the Peak District, whilst working as a football coach. He was accused of picking particular boys to abuse and then using threats to keep them quiet. Manchester City confirmed that he had been "connected" to the club in his capacity as a scout in youth football but that it had ceased contact with him as soon as they received a complaint about his alleged inappropriate behaviour. Contacted by the Sunday Times, Bennell, 57, confirmed that Mr Speed had stayed at his home but denied abusing him. He said that, had he done so, he would be unlikely to admit it anyway. Told that he would now be left in peace, Bennell replied: "There's no peace now. How can you have peace when you've killed somebody? He added: "To me, killing someone is what you've done to them, because their life's never the same again ..." Bennell had also reportedly coached Alan Davies, a former Manchester United football player, who committed suicide in 1992, aged 30, when his wife was pregnant with their second child. There is no suggestion that he had been abused by Bennell. However, one of the six victims Bennell admitted to abusing suggested that the coach had referred to Speed, Davies and himself as "favourites." He told the newspaper that Bennell used to refer to Speed as one of his "protégés."