Five convicted of historic physical abuse at Medomsley detention centre

Former detention officer Christopher Onslow has been convicted of historical physical abuse

• Martin Evans, CRIME CORRESPONDENT
12 March 2019 • 1:00pm
 
Five former officers have been convicted of physically abusing inmates at a detention centre in County Durham following one of the UK's biggest investigations of its kind.

Inmates, who were described as being "without a voice" suffered systematic beatings as a means of "degrading and humiliating" them, at the Medomsley Detention Centre near Consett from the 1960s to its closure in 1988.

A total of 1,676 men came forward to claim they had been subjected to abusive treatment while housed at the centre, which was renowned for applying the "short, sharp shock" form of justice.

A team of 70 detectives launched Operation Seabrook in August 2013, and 32 former warders were interviewed, with seven facing court in a series of three trials at Teesside Crown Court, the last of which ended on Monday.

It can now be reported that five former staff officers have been convicted of offences including misconduct in public office after jurors were told that much of the violence meted out was "for the enjoyment of the officers".



The original Medomsley detention centre shut down in the 1980s Credit: NNP
Throughout the trials 71 complainants were called as witnesses and some 23,280 documents were prepared by police during the investigation.

The trials were told that boys were beaten by warders as soon as they arrived within the gates of Medomsley as a way of instilling fear into them at the start of their sentences for what were normally minor crimes.


PE sessions were used as excuses to beat and humiliate the boys who sometimes ended up being taken to hospital with severe injuries.

The first to face trial was Physical Training instructor Christopher Onslow, now 72, who  "exploited his position of authority in a consistently sadistic and brutal fashion," jurors were told.



Christopher Onslow was known by inmates as The Machine Credit: NNP
Onslow - sometimes referred to by his nickname The Machine - picked on one overweight inmate and along with another warder used bricks and stones to  knock him from cargo netting on an obstacle course where he had become stuck.

The lad's agonised cries at falling between 12ft and 20ft were met with the words: "Shut up you soft bastard there's nothing wrong with you" from Onslow.

He was left in a body cast for weeks when he was eventually taken to hospital with three crushed vertebrae, the court heard.



Kevin Blakely was one of those convicted of misconduct in public office following a trial at Teesside Crown Court
Opening the case on September 3 2018, Jamie Hill, QC, told jurors: "What you are about to hear is not the odd clip around the ear but serious violence that would be criminal whether it was perpetrated in an institution or on the streets.

"This was violence seemingly carried out for the enjoyment of the officers. And they were serious crimes then as much as they would be now.


"To simply say that it was a different time with different attitudes would be to abdicate responsibility  for investigating serious allegations of crime against people made vulnerable due to their incarceration."

Mr Hill added: "It is self evident from the setting within which these events took place that the witnesses had been convicted of criminal offences. Some have gone on to reoffend later, whilst others have wiped the slate clean and gone on to to lead hard working and law abiding lives.

"We say they were victims of a system where it was impossible to have a voice.

"They were beaten into submission, the fact that they were young offenders meant it was less likely they would be believed and they knew it.

"Some of them had tough upbringings making it even less likely that they could or would complain , particularly in that day and age. "



John McGee was one of those convicted of physical abuse Credit: NNP
Medomsley, he said, was one of the detention centres set up to give offenders the "short sharp shock" promised in the 1979 Conservative manifesto.

But Mr Hill said: "It was not intended to give officers a green light to assault inmates. As you will hear Medomsley was awash with violence long before that catchy phrase was being bandied about."


He told the jury: "The favourite device of the officers was to ask the trainee to give his name, Usually he would give his name but fail to add "sir" to his reply. That would then be an excuse for punches and or kicks sometimes with broken noses, black eyes and the like."

Onslow beat one youth around the head with a plimsoll because he was too slow to get into the showers after a PT session.

In his desperation to get away the boy ran into a concrete post and was knocked out cold, still suffering migraines to this day.

Another inmate, who was mixed race, was subjected to a torrent of racist abuse from Onslow and other warders.

One inmate was beaten by Onslow for dsclosing that he had been raped by Neville Husband, a preacher who worked at Medomsley during the same period. Husband was jailed in 2003 and died seven years later.



Alan Bramley was convicted of misconduct in public office Credit: NNP
The boy was one of his victims and told Onslow: "There's something amiss with Mr Husband in the kitchens" expecting him to take action.
Instead Onslow handed out a beating and told him never to mention it to anyone.

Another of his victims was told to pick a team from the lads to play the staff at football. When the boys won the match the lad was beaten black and blue by Onslow.

And yet another boy was dragged around by the hair and beaten over the head with his own football boots.

Onslow was convicted of misconduct in public office between 1975 and December 1980, a separate charge of misconduct in public office covering a later period from January 1981 to December 1985, inflicting grievous bodily harm to the boy on the cargo net, three charges of assault causing actual bodily harm, wounding with intent.

John McGee, 74, was convicted of misconduct in a public office and assault causing actual bodily harm.

Brian Greenwell, 71, was convicted of misconduct in public office and Neil Sowerby, 62, was cleared of misconduct in public office, sexual charges and assault.

In the final trial Kevin Blakely, 67, and Alan Bramley, 70, were both convicted of misconduct in public office but cleared of assaults causing actual bodily harm.

David McClure, 63, was cleared of assault and misconduct.

All five of the convicted former warders will be sentenced together on a date to be fixed.

Judge Howard Crowson told Blakely and Bramley: “You must understand when you return that there are possibilities including prison and I will have to decide whether that is the appropriate sentence on the next occasion.”

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