Government could pay out £12m in compensation to Medomsley Detention Centre victims
The Government could face a £12m compensation bill for victims of sexual abuse at a North East detention centre
Ray Poar, who was a victim of Neville Husband
The Government could face a £12m compensation bill for victims of sexual abuse at a North East detention centre.
That
revelation has come as police are swamped with calls about Medomsley
Detention Centre after a probe covering the late 1970s and early 1980s
was reopened in the autumn.
It is thought hundreds of young boys were systematically targeted by sexual predators.
Solicitor David Greenwood is representing 53 alleged victims, 40 more than before the probe was re-opened.
He
estimates the Government will pay out millions in compensation, on top
of costs for the police investigation and any independent inquiry.
He
said: “In total the case is likely to cost the government around £8m to
£12m if all those who have contacted the police so far go on to pursue
compensation claims.
“This figure excludes the cost of the police inquiry and a public inquiry.”
Prison guard Neville Husband, a serial abuser of young boys, was convicted for sex attacks on nine youngsters in 2003.
Before
his prosecution and after 27 years’ working for the Prison Service he
was a minister with the Brighton Road and Cromer Avenue URC churches in
Gateshead.
His victims included Ray Poar, who was sent to the centre aged 17 and waived his anonymity to talk to The Chronicle in August.
Mr
Poar, 52, was sent to the facility when he was 17 and was subjected to
horrific abuse at the hands of prison guard Neville Husband.
It was only when he secured a transfer to another facility that he could escape.
He contacted police after Husband was convicted in 2003, but for years had blamed himself.
He said: “I really believed that he could kill me. I was in total despair, I didn’t know what he was going to do next.
“After that, it was mainly shame that made me not tell anybody.”
Husband was jailed for 12 years and his accomplice Lesley Johnson, who was a store man at the centre, for six.
Both men have since died.
Neville Husband
The Ministry of Justice has so far refused to apologise, and a
spokesman said yesterday: “The outcome of the ongoing police
investigation will be considered in due course. It would be
inappropriate to comment further at this time.”
More than 60
people have contacted Durham Police this week alone after the
investigation was featured on the BBC’s Inside Out programme.
It is unclear how many of these people are victims, witnesses or people with information which could assist the investigation.
Detective
Superintendent Paul Goundry from the force said: “We said from the
outset this was going to be a long and complex investigation which we
fully expect will last at least another 12 months.
“So far we have
been contacted by more than 140 former inmates of Medomsley, who have
reported they were victims of either sexual or physical abuse at the
centre between the late 1960s and the mid-1980s.
“The accounts we have heard have been horrific and have shaken some very experienced detectives who are working on this.
“It
is obviously distressing to hear from so many victims, but at the same
time I am relieved they have shown the confidence in us to get in touch
and allow us to help them.
“Our efforts are directed not just at
establishing what happened in Medomsley over that period but ensuring
the victims are left in a better place and get the support and advice
they need.”
Meanwhile, Mr Greenwood is calling for an independent inquiry into the facility.
He said: “There is clear evidence of prison officers turning a blind eye to serious and systematic abuse at Medomsley.
“I have also spoken to men who suffered serious and systematic physical abuse at other detention centres throughout the country.
“Future
generations need to understand how and why state officials colluded in
this way and to learn how to prevent it in the future.
“The
intensity of the horrific abuse meted out at Medomsley has meant that
many men have felt embarrassed or ashamed at coming forward previously.
“Now
that they know that the police are taking the case seriously and are
actively pursuing the perpetrators, many survivors of Medomsley feel
able to come forward.
“They can do so anonymously.
“I would
like to add that the brave men who have come forward to the police will
be dealt with by skilled and sympathetic officers. Counselling will be
offered.
“If justice is not achieved through prosecutions I am
ready to help survivors achieve justice through the civil compensation
process.
“My ultimate aim is to improve the quality of life for these men.”
Anyone
who was a victim of abuse at Medomsley Detention Centre or who has any
information about what went on there should call police on 101.
