The brave victim is one of 20 former inmates who have
contacted detectives to help expose the abusers, after appeals in the
Mirror
Monster: Prison officer Neville Husband
North News & Pictures
A new witness has given police key evidence to support claims of a borstal paedophile ring suspected of raping hundreds of boys.
The
brave victim is one of 20 former inmates of the Medomsley Detention
Centre in County Durham who have contacted detectives to help expose the
abusers, after appeals in the Mirror.
Police refused to
acknowledge claims of a paedophile ring after prison officer Neville
Husband and another man were jailed for the mass rape of boys.
But
speaking last night, the witness – who wishes to remain anonymous –
said: “I’ve spoken to police after seeing the stories about other
victims.
"Until then I thought I was the only one. I was sexually abused at Medomsley, and it was not by Neville Husband.
“He’d left by the time I’d arrived. That place was a living hell.”
Campaigning MP Michael McCann said: “The net is closing. I hope those involved are having sleepless nights.”
The
witness told how the borstal was separated into dorms with bunk beds
and prison guards entered the rooms at night to abuse boys.
His
evidence could even confirm a police cover-up which fooled other
officers and prosecutors and led to a continuation of the abuse.
He
said: “You wouldn’t be able to sleep. You’d stare at the door all
night, praying it wouldn’t open. They’d come in and abuse boys. Everyone
lived in fear that if you spoke up they’d target you. Every day I got
punched and kicked by guards.
“But there was one in particular. A real bully. He would pin me up against the wall and fondle me.
“He’s the one I’d remember. The police have photographs of them all and I’m confident I’ll be able to pick him out.”
The
victim left Medomsley but never reported it to police – and until
recent coverage in the Mirror, he thought he was the only lad abused
there.
He tried to commit suicide several times, even throwing himself into a river only to be dragged out by police.
He
said: “My life fell apart. Whoever I was died in that place, and
someone different came out. But now I realise I wasn’t alone. And that
is some comfort.”
Durham Police have now gathered photographs of
every serving prison officer at Medomsley throughout the 70s and 80s,
when hundreds were raped and sexually abused.
Detectives plan to
sit the new witness in front of a photobank where he will be able to
pick out the members of the paedophile ring.
Brave: Victim John McCabe, right, with MP Michael McCann
Stuart Nicol
The investigation was reopened after victim John McCabe, from
East Kilbride, Lanarkshire, persisted with his claims that Husband and
another man, storeman Leslie Johnson, were not acting alone.
Police now fear a ring of up to four prison officers were involved – as well as attackers from outside the jail.
Some boys were taken off prison premises to be sexually abused at a location which the CPS has asked the Mirror not to disclose.
The witness, now married and in his 40s, was at Medomsley from October 1985.
Husband had left the borstal the year before and was transferred to another prison after being promoted.
Following his arrival, the new prison received allegations of sex abuse.
During
his 2003 trial, Newcastle crown court heard Husband – who became a
minister in the United Reformed Church after 27 years in the prison
service – had used his position of authority to systematically abuse
victims between 1974 and 1984.
The male inmates, aged between 16 and 19, had been picked by Husband to work in the kitchens.
He was jailed for sexual abuse along with storeman Leslie Johnson in 2003. Both men are now dead.
Police
believe there were hundreds more who fell prey to the paedophile ring.
The hunt is now on to catch the abusers who have evaded justice for more
than 20 years.
Medomsley closed in the late 1980s after the abuse came to light and has reopened as a secure training centre.
A
source close to the investigation said: “The police now have a
dedicated Medomsley team looking into those who suffered sexual abuse
and those who suffered other violent attacks.”
'This evidence could be a major breakthrough'
Labour MP Michael McCann campaigned for a police probe into Medomsley after victim John McCabe told him of the horrors.
And he is convinced the latest evidence is vital. He said: “This could be a major breakthrough.
"As well as the information that the Daily Mirror has uncovered the police have also been contacted by other victims.”
Mr McCabe, who has waived his right to anonymity, said: “It only goes to show it wasn’t just Neville Husband involved.
"This man’s story and evidence is going to confirm that even when Husband had left that more prison officers were still abusing.
“It
opens up a new era regarding the investigation. When you take out
Husband and Johnson from the picture, then it makes the abuse even
wider.
“It just goes to show there was a paedophile ring. These men should be tracked down, caught and put into prison.
"They must be held accountable and prosecuted, it doesn’t matter what age they are. Even if they are really old.” Call Durham Police on 101, or the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000, or help@nspcc.org.uk with information.
Medomsley detention centre is at the centre of a re-investigation into child sex abuse allegations. Photograph: BBC
More than 40 alleged victims of child sex abuse at a detention
centre for teenage boys in north-east England have come forward in
response to a police appeal, as part of a new investigation into serial
abuse at the centre during the 1970s and 80s.
Detectives from
Durham received the calls within less than a week of asking for victims
to come forward, following an investigation by the Guardian revealing
that a prison officer at Medomsley detention centre may have abused
hundreds of boys during a 17-year spell when he was in charge of the
kitchens at the centre.
The investigation will examine claims that
the police covered up complaints of abuse made by victims after they
were released from detention. Durham police appealed for victims who had
not come forward previously to do so now.
Previous investigations
carried out by police in 2002 and 2005 resulted in two men being jailed
for crimes committed at the centre, near Consett.
Neville
Husband, the main perpetrator, abused boys on a daily basis. He was
eventually jailed for 10 years and left prison in 2009. He died the
following year. Leslie Johnson, a storeman at Medomsley, was jailed for
six years and also died after being discharged from prison.
The
new investigation will examine claims that Husband and Johnson were part
of a ring which abused detainees, at Medomsley and other locations.
Police will also look at allegations that staff turned a blind eye to
Husband's abuse.
Last Wednesday, Det Supt Paul Goudray, head of
Durham police safeguarding unit said: "This investigation will put
victims at the heart of the enquiry, but at the same time we would like
to hear from anyone who has new information about Medomsley and the
abuse that occurred both inside, and when inmates were taken off-site."
Over a dozen men telephoned police in the first two days after that announcement.
A
spokesman for Durham police said on Wednesday a further 30 men had
contacted them and that the information was being assessed by
investigators.
The Guardian revealed Husband converted a kitchen
storeroom into a bedroom, where sex aids were later found. The paper
also learned staff were forbidden to search the kitchen area. At
Husband's trial, one officer said: " 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 1969, while working at Portland borstal,
Dorset, Husband was arrested and charged with importing pornography. The
material seized and which he admitted showing to boys in his charge –
included sado-masochistic images of teenage boys.
The charges were
dropped after Husband claimed to be conducting research into
homosexuality. Details of that arrest were written across the top of his
employment record and went with him throughout his career.
Dr Eli
Godsi, a former senior psychologist for the Home Office, described
Husband's sexual abuse as one of the worst cases he had come across in
"17 years of working with some of the most prolific sex offenders in the
country".
Following the Guardian report, another victim, John
McCabe, contacted the paper and said he had been abused by Husband, both
on and off the premises at Medomsley. He said he had been raped by
another man at a location Husband had taken him to.
MP Michael McCann is campaigning for justice for an East Kilbride man who was raped in a borstal when he was a teenager.
John McCabe suffered six months of horrific sex abuse at the hands
of prison officer Neville Husband when he was a 17-year-old inmate.
Police last week launched an investigation into an alleged cover-up at notorious English borstal Medomsley Detention Centre.
Husband is believed to have been part of a prison paedophile ring.
The shocking case was re-opened thanks to the brave testimony of
49-year-old John and the help of his old school friend, East Kilbride MP
Michael McCann.
Michael, who was a classmate of John’s at St Bride’s High School in
the 1970s, said: “He (John) got into trouble with the authorities when
he was young and he has paid a gruesome price.
“I knew it would be tough to restart an investigation when the
events took place so long ago and the person who appears to have been
the main protagonist is dead but people that commit crimes must face
justice.
“I have been working hard to convince the police to look into this
case. I am pleased that the case has been re-opened and John and I want
to support the Durham Police investigation fully.
“We have been working behind the scenes for several months
discussing how best to make an appeal for information about abuse that
took place either inside or outside Medomsley Detention Centre.
“I am pleased to say that the police have received a number of calls in relation to the investigation.
“We know that young men attempted to report abuse 30 years ago but
they were let down by the authorities and John McCabe’s bravery in
revealing his story has already encouraged others to come forward.
“Young men like John were detained by the State and then they were
abused by agents of the State and others inside and outside Medomsley.
“Only Neville Husband and Lesley Johnson were convicted. The others, and there are undoubtedly others, are still at liberty.
“They must be caught, prosecuted and sent to jail for their heinous crimes.”
Medomsley Detention Centre in County Durham has been at the centre
of a sex abuse scandal after former guard, Neville Husband, was found
guilty of the mass rape of boys under his care.
The sickening assaults took place over a period of nearly 15 years during the 1970s and 80s.
Husband was eventually snared and jailed for 12 years. Also jailed
was Lesley Johnson, a store man at Medomsley, who went down for six
years.
Both are now dead.
Police are probing new claims that Husband and Johnson were not
acting alone and that the rape of young inmates was systematically
carried out in various other locations outside Medomsley by a larger
group of sexual predators.
The horrific crimes were initially thought to have taken place
solely inside the centre and at the home Husband shared with his wife
and young son.
John was sent to Medomsley for nine months after being found guilty of a break-in at a jewellers in Scarborough.
He was raped by Husband nearly every day during his detention.
Apart from the physical abuse, he had to deal with the mental torture of what was happening to him.
After his release he buried the sickening experience at Medomsley in
the back of his mind and set about building a new life for himself.
John, who is now happily married with three children, last year
summoned up the courage to contact Durham Police, who launched an
investigation.
However, the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to take any
further action against Husband, stating it was not in the public
interest to do so.
John said: “I was devastated by this decision.
“My last hope for justice was to approach my local MP Michael McCann.
“Thankfully Michael gave me his full support and with his help I went to the police again.
“After he campaigned for a new investigation, including raising the
matter direct with David Cameron at Prime Minister’s Questions, the case
was re-opened.
“I am completely confident the authorities will carry out a full
investigation into what happened at Medomsley because they are now
convinced that Husband and Johnson were not acting alone.”
