Medomsley Detention Centre

Medomsley Detention Centre was a prison for young male offenders near Consett in Durham, England from 1961 until the late 1980s, where more than 1,800 living former inmates have reported sexual and physical abuse by staff. Police believe many of the staff belonged to a child sex abuse ring. Seven former officers were jailed for abusing detainees, receiving sentences totalling nearly 34 years. Two were convicted of sexual offences in 1990, 2003 and 2005, while the other five were jailed for physical abuse in 2019. Context: Medomsley Detention Centre was operated by the Home Office and built in 1960 on what was once a Victorian orphanage. It opened in February 1961 and closed in the late 1980s. It usually held around 70 young detainees, mostly from northern England, and could hold 130. Inmates were typically there for their first offence and for a minor crime, the penalty for which would nowadays be a non-custodial community sentence. The site reopened as the private Hassockfield Secure Training Centre from 1999 to 2015. In June 2019, plans were proposed to redevelop the site for housing. Medomsley held young males from Northern England and Scotland and was one of several prisons intended to separate youths from older criminals where former inmates have since reported sexual, physical and emotional abuse, leading to addiction and suicide. "Short, sharp shock" policy: Detective Adrian Green who led Operation Seabrook said Margaret Thatcher's severe "short, sharp shock" policy for punishing young offenders may have been used as a cover for abuse by Medomsley officers. The policy involved incarcerating boys convicted of minor misdemeanors in what have since been described as "sadistic, brutal concentration camps", where inmates were routinely humiliated and violently and sexually assaulted. Inmates were routinely physically attacked for not saying "sir" when addressing a guard and were often forced to stand naked, visible to guards, for long periods of time. Margaret Thatcher's government argued the policy would deter further crime. David Greenwood, a representative of child abuse victims in detention centres, said detainees only became law-abiding in a minority of cases he was aware of and "the majority have their lives sent down the other path with this kind of treatment, especially with sexual abuse as well." One bereaved relative, whose brother Mark turned to heroin and died of an overdose after being incarcerated for a crime he didn't commit in one such centre in Kent, where inmates "were always beaten up", said abusive prison guards "had the impression this was authorised by Maggie Thatcher, as if they were on direct orders from the Prime Minister to carry out this abuse". Mark was "punished" for trying to appeal even after the real guilty person confessed. He was forced to stand naked for more than 24 hours while others, including staff, walked past. He is believed to have been sexually abused. Inmates at Eastwood Park in Gloucestershire were constantly subjected to "waves and waves of verbal and physical abuse". Inmates were routinely deprived of sleep by "constant banging noises", guards talking into the PA system and guards "kicking cell doors loudly". During the day, inmates were arbitrarily sworn at by guards and were kicked and punched for frivolous reasons such as insufficiently rolled up sleeves or alleged uncombed hair. "Uncomfortable and intimidating" guards watched inmates showering. One victim recalled being forced to stand naked upon his arrival along with two others "for what felt like hours" while guards stared at them and verbally abused them. More than 30 years later, he still had "emotional scars" that "will stay with me forever". Inmates at Kirklevington Detention Centre, North Yorkshire, "were physically abused on a daily basis" by officers who "were just sadistic and seemed to enjoy abusing young boys". All inmates were subjected to daily violence and were deprived of food and of meaningful contact with their families, with the contents of letters home being dictated to inmates. One victim who was incarcerated in Kirklevington as a 14-year-old boy feared for his life and emerged as "an anti-authoritarian criminal", from then on viewing authority "as the enemy". He said "I went on to spend most of my life in and out of prisons." Whatton Detention Centre, Nottinghamshire, was described as "terrifying for everybody". Former inmate James Carré-Rice "spiralled into violence" and repeatedly reoffended when released. The 15-year-old was punched in the face immediately upon arrival for not saying "sir" to an officer. Once inside, inmates had their self-esteem constantly lowered by guards verbally abusing and insulting them and were all "beaten, punished, humiliated". Carré-Rice recalled children crying during the night. His friend was severely beaten for dancing in a hallway, and less than a month after being released, hung himself. In 2014, North West Durham's MP, Pat Glass, criticised the phrase "short, sharp shock" because it created "a culture in which a group of people is seen as less than the rest", which is when "things start to go wrong". She said the abuse at Medomsley "cannot have been happening in isolation" and was part of a wider culture of abuse. Abuse: Inmates in Medomsley were sexually and physically abused, spanning several decades from the 1960s to the late 1980s. The physical abuse sometimes resulted in hospitalisations due to severe injuries, including broken bones, wounds and loss of consciousness. Many inmates were raped by staff. The wide variety of physical abuse and humiliation incidents included detainees being dragged from the toilets semi-naked for not finishing soon enough or for not preparing food quickly, being dragged by the hair during a beating, being force-fed salt for speaking during a meal, being punched for not saying "sir" to officers, almost drowning while locked in a box that was filled with water similar to water-boarding, being knocked from a 20-foot height then forced to walk with a broken back and being kicked, stamped on and pelted with heavy objects. One victim said prison officers also orchestrated violence by inmates, having noticed that while he was "being kicked and punched and slapped", he "saw a prison officer at the door smiling." He said: "They were telling you that you were worthless, that's why you were in there, you were no good, nobody wanted you." Police believe many of the staff belonged to an "organised paedophile ring". In 1970, Neville Husband, the chef and later a church cleric, moved to Medomsley where he raped inmates every day for 15 years. The MP Laura Pidcock described the centre in her constituency as "a living hell". Concealment: The public was prevented from learning of the abuse in various ways. Rape victims were silenced with death threats and beatings. At least 14 victims were ignored by police when they tried reporting the abuse upon their release, with rape victim Kevin Young being silenced with threats of being returned to Medomsley. Tony Skillen, whose skull was broken by a violent prison guard, was forced to pretend to hospital staff that the injury was accidental. Relatives of David Caldwel, a chronic asthma sufferer, believe his inquest ignored the role of extreme physical training that was forced by violent prison guards in triggering his fatal asthma attack. The Home Office dismissed and denied numerous reports of abuse. Serial rapist Neville Husband used a kitchen store room as a bedroom containing sexual paraphernalia, where he forced a boy to sleep each night. He concealed the nightly rapes by prohibiting staff from searching the kitchen area. An officer testified "We knew something was going on, he – Husband – used to keep a boy behind in the kitchen at night, we always felt sorry for that boy." In 2019, Operation Seabrook's lead investigator Detective Adrian Green found it "likely" other staff at Medomsley were aware "that physical and potentially sexual abuse was occurring" and "kept quiet about it". He added: "They should have intervened" and "shame on them." Detective Green warned "If I got any evidence to suggest cases of cover-ups I would be looking to prosecute." Investigations: Two police investigations led to seven former officers who abused Medomsley detainees being jailed for nearly 34 years in total. Operation Halter saw serial rapist Neville Husband jailed in 2003, followed by Leslie Johnson in 2005, both for sexual abuse. Their sentences totalled 16 years. Operation Seabrook resulted in five former Medomsley officers being jailed in 2019, all for physical abuse, with sentences totalling nearly 18 years. Operation Halter: Operation Halter was a police investigation into sexual abuse of young inmates in Medomsley Detention Centre, which resulted in Medomsley officer Neville Husband being convicted in 2003 of sexually abusing five young inmates. He was jailed for this in February 2003 for eight years and jailed again in September 2003 for two more years for sexually assaulting another four inmates. Medomsley officer Leslie Johnson was subsequently jailed in 2005 for six years. Lead investigator Detective Simon Orton said in 2003 "There could be a lot more victims of Neville Husband. But I would anticipate there are people who have put it behind them and would simply want to leave it that way. We will have to respect that." Detective Orton added "I can only surmise how many other people have been through his clutches." Operation Seabrook: On 14 August 2013, police reopened investigations into historical abuse of young inmates in Medomsley Detention Centre, naming this new investigative phase Operation Seabrook. It had three aims – to provide victims with support "so they are in a better place", to fully understand the abuse in Medomsley, and to gather evidence against and prosecute living abusers. In March 2019, Operation Seabrook resulted in five former Medomsley officers being jailed for physically abusing detainees. The five – Christopher Onslow, John McGee, Brian Johnson Greenwell, Alan Bramley and Kevin Blakely – received jail terms totalling 17 years and 11 months. The investigation was carried out by 70 Detectives from Durham Constabulary. Each detective interviewed and collected statements from a different group of victims. Its leader, Detective Superintendent Paul Goundry, said they were "experienced detectives" with many of them "specially-trained to deal with victims of sexual abuse". Launching the investigation, Detective Goundry said the detectives "will go to see our victims in person, wherever they are, answer any queries they may have and steer them towards the appropriate counselling services if they need them. This will be a lengthy process but I am confident we have the resources in place." Counselling was offered to victims by "The Meadows", a nearby Sexual Assault Referral Centre. Detective Goundry promised to "put victims at the heart of the inquiry" and asked for "new information about Medomsley and any abuse that occurred either inside, or when inmates were taken off-site. He said Operation Seabrook would "go where the evidence takes us" and that "every avenue will be explored and we’ll do our utmost to bring perpetrators to justice." He warned that any "officers who ignored evidence about a paedophile ring" would "be traced and investigated." John McCabe was extremely thankful for the victim-centred investigative approach taken by Durham Constabulary, saying "Everything they are doing is victims focussed. They have done so much for the other victims and it means a lot me" and "When you look at the network of help they have put in place it is totally unbelievable." Rod Jones, who was abused in the 1960s, said because the investigation was so late, "the majority of prison officers who did this are now probably dead or are in their 80s and 90s" and he would never receive justice. Within months of the investigation's launch, Goundry said "seasoned detectives have found it quite traumatic dealing with the experiences of these victims". By March 2014, Goundry expressed shock at "the sheer number of victims who have come forward" and said his team had "growing evidence" of "an organised paedophile ring" and a "brutal regime where violence was both extreme and routine", which ruined lives, leaving some traumatised victims unable to work or even leave their house. By February 2017, 1400 victims had reported sexual or physical abuse to Operation Seabrook. 32 suspects were identified and 32 files were provided to the Crown Prosecution Service. By November, seven were charged and a further six were warned they could be charged if any new evidence emerges against them. The Crown Prosecution Service explained that some other abusers were no longer alive or were too difficult to identify. The seven charged men were released on bail. All faced charges of physical abuse and four were also charged with sexual abuse. They denied every charge. In August 2018, a further 11 faced no action because of insufficient available evidence. The six former Medomsley officers who received warnings remained under investigation. The investigation was made difficult by some victims not recalling names of abusers or only knowing their nicknames, by victims' backgrounds and by the length of time since the crimes. The detective now leading the investigation, Chief Superintendent Adrian Green, explained that perpetrators were identified by showing victims old photographs of Medomsley staff and "timelines of nicknames". He said "it becomes difficult to turn these things into evidence." 71 victims appeared as witnesses in three trials in 2018 and 2019. in which five men were convicted of frequently physically attacking boys in Medomsley, causing severe bruises, bleeding, broken bones and unconsciousness. After the trials, Judge Howard Crowson praised the courage of all victims who reported the abuse. In March 2019, Detective Green said all five convicted abusers had a "life-long impact" on their victims, having "devastated their quality of life and their ability to cope going forward". He said, "It's never ending for those individuals, and one of the important things is that this has allowed them to have a voice for them to be heard. ... Many of these people, are very very badly damaged by what occurred and that's devastated their lives." He hoped victims "found some solace in reporting their stories to police, being listened to, and that the issues at Medomsley are being discussed in public". Detective Green described Operation Seabrook as "incredibly long and complex", having taken "more than five years". Far more victims had reported abuse than expected and he praised their "courage", saying "it is not easy to relive such distressing incidents". He was "extremely proud" of the investigators[38] who "worked extremely hard" and were "dedicated people". 23,280 documents had been gathered and the investigation cost £1m. Detective Green expected "further charges imminently" and asked other living victims, including those "who have suffered abuse in other establishments, not just Meadomsley" to contact Durham Police. Media restrictions: News organisations were prohibited from publicising any of the verdicts or charges in three trials stemming from Operation Seabrook due to court imposed reporting restrictions, until the final verdict was delivered in March 2019. The trials had been scheduled for September 2018, November 2018 and January 2019. During these temporary restrictions, only the names and ages of the seven defendants could be reported. On 12 March 2019, following the verdict in the final trial, Judge Howard Crownson lifted the restrictions, allowing details from the three trials to finally be published. Victims: Over 1,800 former detainees reported sexual and extreme physical abuse by officers in Medomsley, including daily rapes and frequent severe beatings under a "culturally violent regime" that traumatised them for life. Many were so desperate to escape this criminal "systematic abuse" that they broke their own limbs in order to be hospitalised and therefore removed from Medomsley. By March 2019, around 300 victims reported abuse by Neville Husband, which Durham Constabulary expected to become "considerably higher". He was brought to justice in 2003 by Operation Halter. Husband, the chef and a church cleric, raped boys at Medomsley every day for 15 years. One of his victims, Dave Stoker said he felt "so disgusted", "dirty" and "ashamed" that Husband had successfully intimidated him into silence that he turned to alcohol and he later died of cirrhosis of the liver. 71 victims testified in three trials in 2018 and 2019 stemming from Operation Seabrook, in which five former Medomsley officers were jailed for physical abuse. The 71 witnesses described frequent physical assaults by officers that caused injuries such as broken bones and black eyes. When jailing three officers Judge Howard Crowson said victims "felt they could not complain, and those who did were told that to continue their complaints could result in a return to Medomsley." During victim impact statements, one victim, who described Medomsley as "hell on earth", said it left him taking antidepressants for 30 years. He said Medomsley officers "seemed as though they were using us to show off to one another, laughing as they did it." Others victims suffered recurring nightmares about Medomsley, even after 40 years, with at least one victim housebound, unable to work and largely out of touch with his three children, still overwhelmed by flashbacks and post traumatic stress disorder after 37 years. One victim described Medomsley as "a violent place" where prisoners were "treated like animals". Investigators said prison officers inflicted "immeasurable suffering and lifelong damage" upon "the most vulnerable kids in society" causing "mental scars which have lasted a lifetime" and that reporting the abuse "has taken courage". Judge Howard Crowson said former inmates "who had the courage to complain ... were either ignored or warned that to pursue the complaint would risk a return to Medomsley" which "no one wanted to risk", so "most of the victims told nobody". He said society at the time viewed such complaints as evidence the victim "had not learned his lesson". 1967 reports: In 1967, a Member of Parliament informed the Home Office about reports of physical abuse against inmates, which the Home Office dismissed and denied. A 17-year-old was hospitalised for five weeks with abdominal and groin pain soon after arriving in Medomsley. He described having been punched and "kicked, hit and struck with various objects" by "vicious", "kick and thump happy" officers. He compared Medomsley to "a prisoner of war camp". Another 17-year-old described other prisoners trying to break their own limbs in an attempts to be hospitalised and therefore leave Medomsley. He reported that his own chest was beaten using a studded belt and found Medomsley to be "like hell". Other former detainees said fellow inmates were often forced to keep jumping forward while crouching down and were kicked whenever they stopped with exhaustion. One said this forced "bunny-hopping" continued during the night and "heard screams but nobody reports it in case they get filled in". He also recounted being punched in the mouth and detainees becoming airborne due to being severely punched in the stomach. Deaths: Some inmates with medical conditions are believed to have died as a direct result of the actions of prison guards. David Caldwell: At 17, David Caldwell died of an asthma attack in 1982 after being left unattended for two hours in Medomsley's hospital wing. His mother told his inquest that despite his chronic asthma, he was forced into severe physical training. His sister added "the bruises on his legs were caused by him being kicked around by prison officers" and said he and others were routinely hit in the face for not saying "sir". In 2014, she called for the case to be reopened and fully investigated. She felt the inquest, which attributed Caldwell's death to natural causes, "was a waste of time" because "they weren't interested" and "weren't listening" to her information. She said "I have got asthma, too, and I know if you get agitated it can bring it on – and he had asthma worse than me. I believe the attack was brought on by his ill-treatment." Ian Shackleton: Ian Shackleton, who had diabetes, fell into a coma and died in 1981 after being denied insulin. David Alan Brown: David Alan Brown was physically abused and prevented from attending his grandmother's funeral during his three months in Medomsley in 1981 for a crime he didn't commit. At 17, he was "beaten up everyday" by Christopher Onslow, who repeatedly kicked him while forcing him to run without footwear, for being unable to run four miles within 35 minutes. Other detainees asked Brown to jump on and break their own legs so that they could avoid this brutal physical training under Onslow. Brown and others were beaten for not addressing officers as "sir". Officer John McGee punched Brown in the mouth for complaining about not being allowed to attend his grandmother's funeral. Brown believes the physical abuse was sadistic and knew that others were being sexually assaulted. He said officers targeted smaller weaker inmates. He was initially too afraid to report the abuse, expecting to be disbelieved, and eventually found the courage after he saw a BBC documentary about Operation Seabrook. However, all records of his imprisonment in Medomsley had been destroyed, making him feel like he "was going crazy" and leaving him to search for and rely on a detailed diary by his father, which had almost been dumped, as evidence. Brown said even after decades, "I do think about it everyday" and "the memories will never go out of my brain". Doug Corkhill: Doug Corkhill was sent to Medomsley for six months in 1978. He suffered recurring sexual assaults by Neville Husband each week and was physically abused and humiliated by other officers. As soon as he entered Medomsley, officers strip searched him and others and struck Corkhill's head for not saying "sir" when Corkhill informed an officer he wore spectacles. Another time, an officer humiliated him by pulling him by the hair from a toilet cubicle with his underwear down in front of other inmates, some of whom laughed at him, while the officer was beating him, reducing him to tears.He was haunted for life by memories of other inmates being violently attacked by staff, such as inmates' heads being pelted with crates for cheering to sports results on the radio and an exhausted young inmate screaming and crying out for his mother while being beaten and kicked by Christopher Onslow for being unable to continue running a four-mile "fence run" in 35 minutes. Ian Farrer: At 17, Ian Farrer was physically abused and humiliated in Medomsley in 1987 and reported this to police in 2014. He experienced physical abuse daily and recalled being knocked to the ground with "a massive blow to my kidneys", then hit on the head by a prison guard for having a loose buckle. Farrer recalled other inmates intentionally having their own legs broken in order to avoid the violent attacks they might otherwise face. Prison guards routinely woke inmates during the night with loud noises and forced them to "do bunnyhops all around the place". He had been sent to Medomsley for four months for handling stolen property. Rod Jones: Rod Jones "never got over" abuse in Medomsley, even after 50 years. Aged 17, he was locked inside a laundry basket and rolled a quarter of a mile. A hose was inserted and he said "I could feel myself drowning. It was like water-boarding. I lost consciousness and the next thing I knew I was tipped out onto the floor of my cell." He was subjected to "beating after beating" and, desperate to escape, confessed to over a hundred crimes he had never committed. Officers also gave him a rope, telling him to hang himself or "they would do it for me". John McCabe: During John McCabe's six months in Medomsley, Neville Husband raped the 17-year-old nearly every night. The abuse began the day he started his job in the kitchen, with Husband grabbing him, creepily pressing himself against him and later intimidating him with a knife. The rapes began the next day. Husband sometimes took McCabe outside of Medomsley, where a second man raped him, watched by a woman. The second man was never prosecuted. McCabe believed he would die in Medomsley and was told by Husband "I could kill you and put you in one of these boxes and bury you and nobody would know." He sought an enquiry, together with his local MP for East Kilbride, Michael McCann, who wrote "a formal request" for a full inquiry to Justice Secretary Ken Clarke. McCann attributed Operation Seabrook's launch to McCabe's "bravery and his ability to speak out about it, and giving up his anonymity", which resulted in McCann "raising the matter at Prime Minister’s Questions" and "finally convinced County Durham Police Force to open up the investigation." Operation Seabrook's lead investigator Detective Superintendent Paul Goundry praised "Mr McCabe’s courage in allowing himself to be named" and said McCabe "motivated not only myself, but also my team, to bring others to justice." Ray Poar: At 17, Ray Poar was incarcerated in Medomsley for stealing biscuits. Upon his arrival, he was immediately ordered to help in the kitchen, where Neville Husband violently assaulted him. Poar said "When I said ‘no’, he started squeezing my neck as hard as he could. He just kept squeezing and squeezing until I was passing out and I thought I was going to die. He was saying in my ear, ‘You could disappear from here, nobody would care and nobody would know’. It was absolutely terrifying." Poar passed out and when he regained consciousness, he was being raped. He was too frightened to tell anyone. He was raped again the following day and said "from then on it just got worse". Being raped by Husband "became part of the routine of the day". He didn't resist because he "didn't want to die". He believes other prison guards knew about the abuse and chose not to stop it and said "We knew we couldn't turn around to them and complain to them about what had happened with Husband because they were part of it, they were the ones that were kicking us about every day. ... You had nobody to talk to." Tim Newell, Medomsley's governor from 1978 to 1981, said "If staff knew about the abuse taking place I am very concerned they let the abuse continue." Poar was humiliated by being awoken and made to run to the showers "bunny-hopping" while naked and being kicked. In the years following his incarceration in Medomsley, Poar suffered a nervous breakdown and almost jumped into a swollen river in a suicide attempt. He had "thought everyone was a paedophile" and, on becoming a father, struggled with an overwhelming terror of his own children being raped. A year after the birth of his son, he was unable to work properly, drinking heavily, sinking into debt and suicidal. He only survived thanks to support from a friend and from his wife. He reported the abuse to police after Husband's initial conviction in 2003. Poar remained affected by Medomsley ever since Husband's abuse, saying after 40 years, "from the moment I wake up I'm thinking about Medomsley until the minute I go to bed" and "it's ruined my life, it's completely ruined it." Eric Sampson: Eric Sampson, who was abused in Medomsley when he was 17, said it was "a hellhole", "worse than a concentration camp", "run on violence, every day, morning, afternoon and night" and "the most shocking, horrible place I've ever been in my life". He had been prevented from disclosing the abuse by threats of death. Barry Segar: Barry Segar, who was incarcerated in Medomsley when he was a boy, revealed in 2019 that he still suffers "nightmares" and is still too afraid to leave his home because "going places" causes recurring "flashbacks ... my body shakes". He was attending counselling. Tony Skillen: At 16, Tony Skillen was hospitalised because his skull was broken in a severe beating by Christopher Onslow. The officer Brian Johnson Greenwell forced Skillen to pretend in hospital that the injury Onslow inflicted was caused by an accidental fall. The experience caused Skillen 40 years of "awful mental health problems" and was "still a nightmare to look back on". He said Medomsley was "like a concentration camp" where "the daily routine was just violence" that "never stopped" because "if you weren't getting it, someone else was". In Medomsley, Skillen feared for his life. Dave Stoker: Dave Stoker, a victim of Neville Husband, was too "frightened to tell anyone" because Husband told him "he would make my life hell" if the sexual abuse became known. This left Stoker feeling "so disgusted", "dirty" and "ashamed", pushing him to alcoholism. He died of cirrhosis of the liver. Peter Toole: Peter Toole's head was banged against a wall when he arrived in Medomsley in 1985. He was there for handling stolen goods. He said "they tried to break you" and "the place was run on violence". Kevin Young: At 17, Kevin Young, who spent his childhood in care, was incarcerated in Medomsley in 1977 for possessing a £12 stolen watch that his brother gave him. Neville Husband began sexually abusing him almost immediately and it soon escalated. "Within days what started as light touching and pressing himself against me very quickly escalated into situations where he was forcing me to go upstairs to a store room area. He would lock me in the store room area and uninterrupted would carry out what I've always described as torture." Husband tied him up, blindfolded him and raped him nearly every day. Some days, Young was gang-raped at Husband's home. Husband responded with death threats to Young's pleas for him to stop. Young was repeatedly "told I could be found hanging in my cell", which he believed because "that year two boys had been found hanging in their cell. I was in fear of my life." The day he was released, Young tried to report the abuse to police, showing an officer strangulation marks on his neck, who replied that making such a report against a prison officer was itself a criminal offence. Officers at Consett police station silenced Young by threatening to return him to Medomsley and ignored his complaint. Perpetrators: Seven former officers were jailed for abusing Medomsley inmates, including two for sexual abuse. Police suspected the two belonged to a larger child sex abuse ring. Six more former Medomsley officers were warned they could face charges if further evidence against them emerges. The Crown Prosecution Service explained that other abusive Medomsley officers were either dead or were too difficult to identify. The Ministry of Justice stated after convictions in March 2019, "It is right that those responsible for such appalling behaviour are finally being brought to justice and we hope never to see abuse on this scale ever again."