6:40am Wednesday
18th December 2013 in News
Victim co-ordinator Marian Garland, The
Meadowfield Sexual Assault Referral Centre manager
Bev Stoker and Detective
Superintendent Paul Goundry
More than 120 victims have now come forward to say they were subjected to a
catalogue of horrendous sexual and physical abuse at a North-East detention
centre.
Seasoned officers have been shocked by some of the new claims being made by
the then teenage victims in what is developing into one of the largest inquiries
of its kind - centred on Medomsley Detention Centre, near
Consett, County Durham.
The allegations from victims living throughout the country follow Durham
Constabulary’s announcement in August that it was launching a fresh
investigation into claims that inmates were abused during the late 1970s and
early 1980s.
About 80 experienced officers along with a support network - including Rape
Crisis, The Meadows Sexual Assault Referral Centre and the NSPCC - have been
drafted in to help deal with the unprecedented number of complaints.
Abuse at Medomsley first made national headlines when a previous
investigation led to the conviction in 2003 of Neville Husband, an officer at
the centre.
He was sentenced to ten years in jail for systematically raping several
teenagers – some of whom came forward following his initial conviction.
After serving his sentence, the 72-year-old disgraced United Reformed
Minister died of natural causes at his home in nearby Snows Green, Shotley
Bridge, in 2010.
Husband’s friend, storeman Leslie Johnson, was jailed for six years for
similar offences. He too has since died.
Detective Superintendent Paul Goundry, who is leading the inquiry codenamed
Operation Seabrook, said: “We were told by existing victims of earlier
prosecutions that if we made a media appeal a lot more people would come
forward.
"We did not expect the numbers that have contacted us. “About half of them are complaining of physical assault, but well over the
kind you would expect from the short, sharp shock that was intended.
“Members of the investigation team, not just me, are shaken by some of the
tales we have been told to date.”
He added: “We want every person who has been in Medomsley 60s, 70s and 80s to
know about this police investigation and then make a conscious decision about
whether or not to contact us, if they have been physically or sexually abused.
“We would particularly like to hear from anyone who may have been taken off
the site.”
Det Supt Goundry: “Seasoned detectives have found it quite traumatic dealing
with the experiences of these victims.
“They were effectively the most vulnerable kids in society, often placed
miles away from home.”
Marian Garland, who has been appointed victim co-ordinator, said: “Initial
inquiries would suggest that the sexual abuse went wider than Husband and
Johnson.
“However, this needs to be confirmed by further careful investigation and
analysis.
“There are allegations of physical assaults and sexual assaults. I think it
was all about where you worked in Medomsley and where you were given your duties
– and whether you were targeted for it.”
Det Supt Goundry said every victim would be seen by a Durham Constabularly
detective regardless of where they have lived.
He said: “What we have to concentrate on is giving each victim a bespoke
service and see that each victim gets a good outcome and that they don’t find
themselves in a worse place in a years’ time than what they were before
reporting it.”
He added all victims were expected to interviewed by February Det Supt
Goundry said: “Identifying potential witnesses and suspects from nicknames
descriptions will be a painstaking task.
“We have dedicated researchers and analysts who will produce a timeline, so
we get a true understanding who was in the centre at what times.
“All that has to be done very carefully and slowly. And then we’ll move on to
identifying potential perpetrators and suspects - if they are still alive.”
The centre was closed in 1988 and later reopened as the privately-run
Hassockfield Secure Training Centre in 1999.
Anyone with information should contact the police on 101 or visit a dedicated
page set up on www.durham.police.uk.
