Five prison officers convicted of physical abuse at detention centre

Five former prison officers at a youth detention centre in County Durham have been found guilty of physically abusing boys there. The offences took place in the 1970s and 1980s, at Medomsley Detention Centre, near Consett.

Christopher Onslow, who was a physical training officer at Medomsley, was convicted of a wide range of violent offences against dozens of boys.

His trial heard how he "exploited his position of authority in a consistently sadistic and brutal fashion."

 Incidents involving Christopher Onslow include:

• Beating up a detainee who came to him to report that he had been sexually abused by another officer

• Throwing rocks at a young man who was on a cargo net, causing him to fall and crush three vertebrae

• Breaking an inmate's ankle by slamming a medicine ball down on it

The court heard that some detainees persuaded others to break their legs to avoid gym sessions with Onslow.

                      Christopher Onslo

More than 1,600 men made allegations to Durham Police of physical or sexual abuse at Medomsley, in what has become one of the largest investigations of its kind in the country.

One victim described the detention centre as"hell on earth."

We are now able to report on the outcome of the three trials, after a judge at Teesside Crown Court lifted reporting restrictions.

Seven former prison officers were charged with physical abuse offences. Four of them were also accused of sexual abuse, but found not guilty on all of those charges.

  

Top L-R: Christopher Onslow, John McGee, Brian Greenwell Bottom L-R Kevin Blakely, Alan Bramley Credit: PA

• Christopher Onslow, 72:

Found guilty of five physical abuse charges, and two counts of misconduct in a public office.
He was also found not guilty of two further physical abuse charges and four sexual abuse charges.

• John McGee, 74:

Found guilty of assault, and misconduct in a public office.
He was found not guilty of four further physical abuse charges and three sexual abuse charges.

• Brian Greenwell, 71:

Found guilty of misconduct in a public office.
He was found not guilty of three physical abuse charges and one sexual abuse charge.

• Kevin Blakely, 67:

Found guilty of two charges of misconduct in a public office.
He was found not guilty of four physical abuse charges.

• Alan Bramley, 70:

Found guilty of misconduct in a public office.
He was found not guilty of four physical abuse charges.

• David McClure, 63:

Cleared of all five charges he faced.

• Neil Sowerby, 62:

Cleared of all ten charges he faced.

Christopher Onslow and John McGee have submitted appeals against their convictions.
A date for sentencing has not been set.

Medomsley Detention Centre was built in 1960 and closed in 1988

Boys aged between 17 and 21 were detained there, normally for six to eight weeks, having been convicted of relatively minor offences.

Former Medomsley chef Neville Husband and caretaker Leslie Johnson have previously been jailed for sexually abusing detainees. Both have since died.

Durham Police reopened its investigation in 2013, launching Operation Seabrook.

1,676 

Men reported allegations of abuse at Medomsley Detention Centre to Durham Police.

£1m 

The money spent investigation allegations of abuse at Medomsley Detention Centre.

70 

Detectives worked on the case at any one time.

23,000 

Documents gathered by police during the investigation. 

32 suspects were identified by the police, but a number have faced no further action due to insufficient evidence.

The police and Crown Prosecution Service are now examining whether to bring charges against six other former staff members.

The Medomsley case is to form a leading part of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. It has paused its investigation while criminal proceedings have taken place.

• In a statement, Detective Chief Superintendent Adrian Green, Durham Police said:

The violence has been significant. Some of them have broken bones, some of them have required medical attention and those individuals been taken to hospital.

All of them have caused significant suffering and all of them have caused life-long impact on those individuals, and devastated their quality of life and their ability to cope going forward.

– Detective Chief Superintendent Adrian Green, Durham Police

• In a statement, Heather Wilkinson from the Crown Prosecution Service said:

The point of the detention centre was reformative it was there to deter them from crime, but what actually happened these prison officers - that were charged with their care - inflicted what was a brutal regime.

It was criminal then, it is criminal now, and that is what we have reflected with these prosecutions.

– Heather Wilkinson, CPS

Watch Tom Sheldrick's full report here:

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