An ex-inmates brief account of his time at MEDOMSLEY DETENTION CENTRE in 1980. A brutal place MEDOMSLEY had a bad reputation. Young men were beat raped sexually assaulted.
The survivors and victims from
Medomsley detention Centre and so many other care homes and foster
parents, industrial schools work houses, the many from almost every
church of religion as none are without blame,
We welcome the actions taken by the
Northern Ireland government and churches as well as fully support
victims of abuse from all country's in demanding that the actions being
taken in Ireland UK will also actually apply here in the United
Kingdom,
The types of abuse carried by these
so called carers completely ruined lives and even those words have no
meaning because in many cases this was their life from almost day one
Northern Ireland child abuse inquiry: 'We were child slaves from a young age'
Hundreds come forward to tell Northern Ireland inquiry about historical institutional abuse in the country
Margaret McGuckin,
left, and Alison Diver both say that abuse they suffered as children has
had a devastating effect on their lives. Photograph: Kelvin Boyes/Press
Eye
Amid blanket coverage of high-profile child sex abuse investigations in the wake of revelations involving Jimmy Savile and other celebrities, one child abuse inquiry has remained below the public's radar. But the Northern Ireland Historical Institutional Abuse inquiry is slowly emerging from relative obscurity.
The
inquiry is separate from a recent major police investigation in the
country that has led to the arrest of more than 30 people for sexual
exploitation of children and young people who have gone missing from the care system over the past 18 months.
Formally
established by law in January this year, the historical inquiry is
tasked with examining if there were "systemic failings" by state and
church in children's homes between 1922 and 1995 – a period spanning
more than 70 years. Earlier this month, the inquiry held its third public hearing
in Belfast, where its chairman, the former high court judge Sir Anthony
Hart, named, for the first time, some of the institutions under
investigation, including former children's homes run by the Catholic
church.
Hart also confirmed that the final deadline for victims
wishing to apply to give evidence would be the end of November, and he
made fresh calls for people now living outside Northern Ireland
who had been abused as children in the country to come forward. Earlier
this month, 363 people had already made formal applications to speak to
the inquiry; some were in their 80s. Hart said that more than 100 were
living in mainland Britain, the US and Australia.
Humiliation
Margaret
McGuckin was one of the first victims to submit an application to give
evidence to the inquiry, which is looking at all types of abuse:
physical and emotional as well as sexual.
In 1968, aged 11,
McGuckin left Nazareth House, a children's home in Belfast run by the
Nazareth Sisters. After eight years in the home, she did her best to get
on with her life, but like many survivors, she told no one for decades
what had happened to her there. "You didn't want to think about it
because the memories were just too much," she says. "We were child
slaves from a very young age." Young children were expected to carry out
gruelling domestic chores and were wantonly punished, she says. "We
were getting practically drowned in baths, beaten and starved. It was
pure and sheer neglect: coldness, cruelty and humiliation. Can you
imagine the damaged goods coming out of that? And I was certainly
damaged goods. I was made to feel worthless, that I was a bad person."
She was eventually diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
McGuckin,
now 56, became a campaigner for survivors of abuse a few years ago,
after seeing someone she had been in Nazareth House with talking on
television about the abuse she had experienced. "The scales came off my
eyes. I couldn't ignore this any more and I immediately got in touch
with her."
It was at a time when people across Ireland were
beginning to speak out, thanks in large part to the Ryan commission into
the abuse of thousands of children in more than 250 mainly church-run
institutions in the south of Ireland. It published its damning report in May 2009, not long after widespread media coverage of the Magdalene Laundries scandals, involving the incarceration and abuse in convents of women and girls.
McGuckin
and others are grateful for the inquiry, and are keen to ensure that it
hears from as many survivors as possible, that awareness of what
happened is raised and that people and institutions are held
accountable. But as the next stage of the hearings approaches – where
evidence will be given in public – concerns are being raised about the
scope of the inquiry and the processes for supporting survivors.
Alison
Diver, 44, was placed in care in numerous institutions during the
1980s. She says she experienced various types of abuse and that the
impact on her life was "devastating" – she has had severe depression and
has attempted suicide. The "extremely stressful" process of dredging up
memories in private, informal interviews with the inquiry team might
have been made easier, she suggests, if a dedicated mental health
professional specialising in trauma had been present. She says she
"needed more help" during and after giving evidence than the witness
support officers were able to give.
The Office of the First
Minister and Deputy First Minister, which announced the inquiry, has
recently commissioned the setting up of a helpline for victims. But
Diver and McGuckin claim that more support is needed for victims when
they first encounter the inquiry.
"There are no counsellors on
hand," says McGuckin. "We feel like we are going there and we are being
retraumatised. I'd like to see better support."
Hart said that,
although inquiry members are very aware of the emotional distress that
coming to see them can generate for applicants, "unfortunately, this is
unavoidable by the very nature of the task". He added: "The role of the
inquiry is not to provide expert counselling or psychiatric care. That
is for the health and social care services and specialist organisations."
Another
survivor, Jim McCleave, 47, believes that, in addition to support
issues, the scope of the inquiry should have been wider. For example, it
isn't investigating clerical abuse and has no power to determine the
civil or criminal liability of individuals. McCleave, who was raped at
13 by a youth worker, went "off the rails" as a result, and ended up,
aged 15, in St Patrick's Training Centre in Belfast on remand, only to
be sexually abused by a monk in whose care he was placed.
He says
he worries that "it's all just words … a paper exercise", and that
individual perpetrators won't be brought to justice. He says he would
like to see a full-scale police investigation. "The cats and dogs in the
street know there was institutional abuse. There's no point in having
an inquiry to tell us what we already know," he says.
But the
inquiry is clear that it is not within its purview to instigate
prosecutions as a result of any allegations bought to its attention. It
can, however, report "matters of a criminal nature" to the police, who
could then refer cases to the public prosecution service.
The
final issue that victims want clarity on is compensation. The inquiry's
terms of reference state that compensation "is a matter that the
executive will discuss and agree following receipt of the inquiry and
investigation report". The final report is expected in January 2016. But
for McGuckin, who is now a spokeswoman for the charity Survivors and Victims of Institutional Abuse, and whose brother was also abused in a separate home for boys, compensation is a crucial part of redress.
"It's
time to pay up and to compensate victims so they can live the rest of
their lives with no worry of deprivation," she says. "We want justice.
It's been a long time coming."
Brothers recall terrifying cycle of sexual and physical abuse at children’s home
Willie Kelly is still haunted by his childhood experiences at Rubane House.
THE death of their mother (in Fintona) during the early 1950s dealt a
cruel hand to two local men and their six brothers and sisters.
At a time when they should have been enjoying growing up, the
brothers were separated from their siblings, and plunged into a
terrifying cycle of sexual and physical abuse in one of the North’s most
notorious institutions.
For Patrick Murphy and Willie Kelly, the painful memories of that
period will never fade. Both are now aged in their 70s and say they will
never forget the horrors of their youth.
The shocking nature of the abuse which children were subjected to at
Rubane House in Kircubbin, Co Down and other institutions is currently
being investigated by the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry.
Last week, The De La Salle Brothers – which ran Rubane House – was
one of two Catholic orders that said sorry for the abuse children
suffered in their children’s homes in Northern Ireland.
The Sisters of Nazareth and the De La Salle Brothers issued apologies
on the second day of the inquiry in Banbridge – the biggest public
inquiry into child abuse ever to take place in the UK.
It is investigating abuse claims in 13 children’s homes and juvenile
justice centres in Northern Ireland, from 1922 to 1995, including Rubane
House.
Upwards on 100 people from the Omagh and Strabane areas are said to have submitted evidence to the inquiry.
However, the brothers are not taking part because they feel it has come “too late” for them.
“I am 77 years of age now and the chances of me getting anything
other than a feeble sorry are remote,” said Patrick. “But if we had been
born in Donegal then we’d have received compensation.
“It is hard to say why all of this has taken so long and to be quite
honest our view is that they’re only going to be touching the surface of
what went on.
“My intention was to take this to the grave with me. But when the
inquiries started in the Republic my son began asking me about my
experiences because he knew I’d been in a children’s home here.
“He started to make the connection. The real truth became apparent
and he couldn’t believe that I had held onto those memories for all
these years.”
Patrick and Willie never met for almost four decades following their
mother’s death. Both now live in Strabane and it was only by chance that
they discovered their shared experience in Rubane House.
“You could have knocked me over with a feather when Willie told me that he had also been in Rubane House,” said Patrick.
After spending most of their lives being separated from each other
and their other brothers and sisters, the family is now reunited.
Despite the brothers’ reluctance to take part in the inquiry, Survivors
NI is appealing for other local people who have been abused to contact
them.
Spokesperson Margaret McGuckin told the Ulster Herald, “Our
organisation has been contacted by upwards of 100 people from the West
Tyrone area. Many more have not come forward, but I would urge them to
contact us because there is nothing to fear,” Ms McGuckin said.
“Victims now have protection and, while we have given a guarded
welcome to the apologies by two religious orders in the Catholic Church,
this must be supported by their full co-operation with the inquiry.
“At last the victims of this abuse have been given a voice and I have
seen grown men and women cry tears of relief that their stories are
finally being listened to.
“The pain which they have carried with them for a lifetime never goes
away. There will be more heartache ahead for them, but it will be worth
it.”
Alleged Northumberland care home sex abuse victim speaks out
Alleged historical sex abuse victim Terry Priestner has
spoken out in a bid to finally get justice and has Blyth MP Ronnie
Campbell helping fight his case
Terry Priestner claims he was abused as a child in Northumberland County Council Care Homes
Alleged historical sex abuse victim Terry Priestner has spoken out about his battle for justice.
After getting MP Ronnie Campbell to help him fight his case, he hopes other victims will come forward. Yesterday The Journal told how Mr Campbell, MP for Blyth Valley, urged victims of historical abuse in North East children’s homes to stand up and be counted.
He
highlighted the case of his constituent Mr Priestner in parliament,
after the 52-year-old alleged he was abused physically and sexually in
care homes in Northumberland in the 1970s. Police have not arrested
anyone over the claims.
Dad-of-three Mr Priestner, of Blyth,
said: “This is not just for me but for all the others who have been
physically or sexually abused while in care homes in the ‘70s. Jimmy
Savile is big news and every time I watch something about it, it brings
it all back.
“When I talk about what happened to me in Northumberland County Council
care homes I go back to being a child. It has affected me throughout my
life and I want Northumberland County Council to take responsibility
and an inquiry launched,” claimed Mr Priestner.
In Westminster on
Wednesday, Mr Campbell said authorities had been quick to act over
claims of abuse by celebrities such as Jimmy Savile, but had not shown
the same urgency when it came to his constituent.
He said he had
no way of knowing if Mr Priestner’s allegations were true. But he said
that Operation Rose, an inquiry into child abuse in the North East which
was widely criticised for ruining the lives of innocent carers,
teachers and social workers, may have missed a genuine case.
Operation
Rose was conducted by Northumbria Police after a woman in her 20s
disclosed she and a friend had been abused as children in care.
Officers
wrote to 1,800 former residents and homes in Northumberland, Newcastle,
North Tyneside, Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland. The
three-year inquiry led to six convictions, with the final case in 2002.
Mr
Campbell told ministers that Mr Priestner had been repeatedly told
abuse was “just what happened in the 1970s”. The MP said: “Terry
Priestner wants publicity, he want publicity because he had other
inmates with him in the homes who were abused in the homes as well... he
doesn’t know where they are and he wants them to come forward.”
Coun
Robert Arckless, the post holder for children’s services said
“Northumberland County Council is aware of Mr Priestner’s allegations
and has spoken to him on several occasions. We understand these alleged
incidents took place between 1969 and 1976 and were investigated by
Northumbria Police as part of Operation Rose between 1997 and 2002 and
the local authority fully co-operated with the police during this
investigation.
“We understand there were no prosecutions following
these allegations. None of the Children’s Homes attended by Mr
Priestner currently exist and none of the staff working in those homes
are currently employed by Northumberland County Council.
“We will continue to offer support to Mr Priestner should he wish to speak to one of our safeguarding team.”
Northumbria
Police’s Chief Constable Jo Farrell said: “The most serious of the
sexual abuse allegations made by the man were investigated during
Operation Rose and his case was reviewed again by specialist child abuse
investigators in 2012. It has been concluded that there was no evidence
upon which new charges could be brought.”
Victims of alleged historical abuse in North-East care homes urged to come forward by MP
12:41pm Wednesday 6th November 2013
Ronnie Campbell
A LABOUR MP has urged victims of historical abuse in childrens' homes
in the North-East to come forward after one of his constituents failed
in a bid for justice alone.
Ronnie Campbell, MP for Blyth Valley, highlighted the case of his
constituent Terry Priestner, who alleges he was abused physically and
sexually in a series of care homes in Northumberland in the 1970s.
Mr Campbell said the case was not proven during the major Operation
Rose, which looked into a raft of complaints in Northumbria in the late
1990s, and told a debate in Westminster Hall his constituent had been
left with no route to justice.
He said Mr Priestner had been repeatedly told abuse was just what happened in the 1970s.
But children and families minister Edward Timpson said Mr Priestner's
case had been looked at by police and no way to proceed had been found.
He added Mr Priestner could contact the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) if he felt this decision was wrong.
Mr Campbell said: "The attitude is these things happened in homes -
that attitude at the time... of the police, of most people.
"Terry Priestner wants publicity, he want publicity because he had
other inmates with him in the homes who were abused in the homes as
well... he doesn't know where they are and he wants them to come
forward.
"He says these abusers, the Jimmy Saviles and the rest of them
celebrities, they are aren't getting away with it and neither are these
people who were working for the council social services.
"They should not get away with it."
Responding to the debate, Mr Timpson said: "We are too well aware
there continue to be shocking, appalling revelations of child abuse,
particularly involving our most vulnerable children unable to live with
their own families.
"I was very saddened to hear Mr Priestner does not feel he has
received justice that he should be entitled to as a result of the abuse
he has testified to.
"I can't go into commentary on individual cases and the police investigation is an operational matter for Northumbria Police.
"However, I do understand the protecting vulnerable persons unit
within the Northumbria Police crime department has investigated the
allegations your constituent has made.
"I also understand that following substantial inquiries they have not
been able to take any further action in relation to Mr Priestner's
allegations.
"I can appreciate and understand Mr Priestner must feel extremely
frustrated by this position and if he remains unhappy about the way the
police have handled this case, then he can of course raise his concerns
with the IPCC."
A man from Blyth claims police told him "that's just how thing's
were in those days" when he made a string of complaints about physical
and sexual abuse while at North East care homes in the early 1970s.
Terry Priestner is calling for his case to be urgently re investigated. Northumbria Police says it treats all allegations of
this kind seriously and sensitively but that there is no new evidence
upon which charges could be brought.
The
justice secretary had a setback over whole-life tariffs, but he is set
on his evidence-free approach to prisons and probation
Under Chris Grayling's
stewardship, Pentonville prison has been pilloried by the chief
inspector of prisons. Photograph: Ian Waldie/Getty Images
Like the archetypical school bully, Chris Grayling walks around
the playground deliberately bumping into people in the hope of picking a
fight.
The justice secretary's favourite target is Strasbourg. He
hates the human rights court's intellectual rigour, its humanity and
above all its reasonableness. He can also rely on his Daily Mail gang to
pitch in with the odd punch. His latest fight over whole-life tariffs has been thwarted by neat finessing
on the part of the court of appeal. This is not a cause for
celebration. There will be future skirmishes which will be relished in
the runup to the general election next year. Any sort of Europe-bashing
equals votes.
Other victims of bullying have not fared as well. The probation service had a good kicking long before Grayling came on the scene.
The National Offender Management Service, designed to bring prisons and
probation closer together for the benefit of prisoners and communities,
fell foul of reorganisational chaos.
Grayling then turned a good kicking into a thorough pummelling. In Tuesday's BBC Radio 4 File on 4 programme,
Danny Shaw exposed the secretary of state's attitude to the small
matter of evidence: he either doesn't see it or fails to recognise it.
Grayling
sees the project at HMP Peterborough – run by Sodexo Justice Services,
it is the first purpose-built prison to house men and women together in
the UK – as a blueprint for the future. The rest of the world sees it as
a dodgy experiment. Probation officers are leaving in their droves.
They will be replaced by inexperienced "operatives" of community
rehabilitation companies on low wages and zero-hours contracts, acting
as scapegoats for the future offending of "clients". Grayling is
confident that there are people out in the charitable sector who know
more than experienced probation officers with social work degrees. Of
course there are some good people out there, but they will not fill the
gap left by probation or the extra workload of the 50,000 short-term
prisoners brought into the new contracts.
On Tuesday iHMP Pentonville was pilloried by the chief inspector of prisons, Nick Hardwick. That followed criticism of Oakwood, Thameside, Feltham, Brixton – the list goes on. The belief that these issues can be solved by prisoners having fewer privileges, wearing uniforms and not smoking
is foolhardy at best. The logic seems to be that if prisons such as
Pentonville have no future, we can build Titan jails across the country;
"efficient" mass incarceration is just around the corner. And it will
be needed, as the prison population continues to increase against the
backdrop of politicians vying to out-tough each other on crime. Sadly
none of these parliamentarians will be around to pick up the pieces;
reshuffles and ambition will see to that.
Grandiose schemes based
on dogma rather than logic envelop the criminal justice system. Existing
laws are "interpreted" rather than obeyed. New laws are passed on
everything from smoking in cars with children to being a "nuisance". It is all designed to make us feel warm and comfortable, and reassure us that something is being done.
There
is a lot that actually could be done but stays in the criminal justice
long grass. We could reduce the numbers of women in prison, treat them
more humanely and save millions by implementing the Corston report recommendations. We could divert the mentally ill away from prison by following the Bradley report. We could stop locking up those with health problems, by adopting better drug laws. A truly independent report into the deaths of young people we incarcerate is essential. We might also want to learn some lessons form the abuse scandal that is Medomsley detention centre. But such actions don't win votes – or line the pockets of the private sector Source
MP for North West Durham Pat Glass believes politicians' language can create culture in which abuse thrives
Pat Glass, MP for North West Durham
Historic abuse at youth detention centres should be investigated as part of an independent inquiry, a North East MP has said.
Pat
Glass, who represents North West Durham, says the language politicians
use to describe crime and punishment can be dangerous. She believes
terms such as “short, sharp shock” create a culture in which abuse can
thrive.
It comes after a probe was re-opened into the former Medomsley Detention Centre, which was near Consett in County Durham,
last year where it is believed hundreds of boys were abused between the
late 1960s and early 1980s. Police are dealing with more than 400
confirmed victims.
The Labour politician has raised the inquiry issue with Keith Vaz, who is chairman of the Home Affairs Committee.
“Some
of the language politicians use is abhorrent,” said the Labour MP. “We
hear language like ‘short, sharp shock’ and that has created a culture
in which bad things can happen. I suspect this will go much wider than
Medomsley and during this investigation we need to look at all historic
abuse in custody.”
While many victims are believed to have
suffered physical abuse, sexual predator Neville Husband is known to
have targeted hundreds of young boys.
The prison guard was a
serial abuser of young boys and was convicted for sex attacks on nine
youngsters in 2003. He was jailed for 12 years and his accomplice Lesley
Johnson, who was a storeman at the centre, for six years. Both men have
since died.
Prime Minister David Cameron
has pledged he will provide Durham Police with any additional resources
it needs. The investigation is among the largest the force has ever
dealt with and the MP wants to ensure investigators unearth all
wrongdoing.
Ms Glass added: “We need to make sure that the police
have enough resources and that this investigation is thorough. When this
has concluded and all matters have been before court then we need to
take a longitudinal look at historic abuse in custody.”
A parliamentary inquiry into historic abuse at youth detention centres is needed, according to an MP
MP Pat Glass
An MP is seeking a parliamentary inquiry into historic abuse at youth
detention centres – and has urged politicians to take care with the
language they use.
Speaking about a large-scale police
investigation into the former Medomsley Detention Centre in her
constituency, North West Durham Labour MP Pat Glass said a call by
politicians for young offenders to be given a “short, sharp shock” had
created a culture in which abuse could flourish.
More than 400
confirmed victims have now contacted Durham Constabulary alleging sexual
and physical abuse at the Home Office-run centre, near Consett, between the late 1960s and early 1980s.
Prison
officer Neville Husband was jailed in 2003 for systematically raping
youngsters. His friend Leslie Johnson, a storeman at Medomsley, was
jailed for similar offences. They have both since died.
Mrs Glass
said: “There have been couple of investigations and people have been
found guilty, but those inquiries were very limited.
“What we now
know from people coming forward is that there was a systematic reign of
terror at Medomsley that has damaged lives – it was not just a clip
around the lug.
“If you were unlucky enough to go anywhere near the kitchens (run by Husband) then it was even worse.”
She
added: “I have approached the chairman of the Home Affairs select
committee Keith Vaz and have asked if the committee would consider
looking at the whole issue of historic abuse in places like Medomsley.
“This cannot have been happening in isolation at Medomsley. I am concerned about the culture that existed around all of this.”
Mrs
Glass stressed the ongoing police inquiry remained the priority. She
said: “Any public scrutiny, whether it be by a parliamentary
sub-committee or a public investigation, that should be for later.”
Meanwhile, Mrs Glass said politicians “ought to be careful about the language they use”.
She said: “When you start using language like short, sharp shock - it created a culture.
“Anyone looking at that kind of language could not be in any doubt about what the politicians were saying.
“It creates a culture in which a group of people is seen as less than the rest. When that happens things start to go wrong.
“I
draw the analogy with the kind of language that is being used today
around things like welfare and people in receipt of benefits.
“We
almost are creating a situation where groups of people are seen as less
than the general population and we know from history that is dangerous.
“Politicians
will (often) come out and say we have to learn lessons from this, yet
the people who never learn lessons are the politicians.”
AN MP is seeking a parliamentary inquiry into historic abuse at youth
detention centres – and has urged politicians to take care with the
language they use.
Speaking to Northern Echo about a large-scale police investigation
into the former Medomsley Detention Centre in her constituency, North
West Durham Labour MP Pat Glass said a call by politicians for young
offenders to be given a “short, sharp shock” had created a culture in
which abuse could flourish.
More than 400 confirmed victims have now contacted Durham Constabulary
alleging sexual and physical abuse at the Home Office-run centre, near Consett, between the late 1960s and early 1980s.
Prison officer Neville Husband was jailed in 2003 for systematically
raping youngsters. His friend Leslie Johnson, a storeman at Medomsley,
was jailed for similar offences. They have both since died.
Mrs Glass said: “There have been couple of investigations and people
have been found guilty, but those inquiries were very limited.
“What we now know from people coming forward is that there was a
systematic reign of terror at Medomsley that has damaged lives – it was
not just a clip around the lug.
“If you were unlucky enough to go anywhere near the kitchens (run by Husband) then it was even worse.”
She added: “I have approached the chairman of the Home Affairs select
committee Keith Vaz and have asked if the committee would consider
looking at the whole issue of historic abuse in places like Medomsley.
“This cannot have been happening in isolation at Medomsley. I am concerned about the culture that existed around all of this.”
Mrs Glass stressed the ongoing police inquiry remained the priority.
She said: “Any public scrutiny, whether it be by a parliamentary
sub-committee or a public investigation, that should be for later.”
Meanwhile, Mrs Glass said politicians “ought to be careful about the language they use”.
She said: “When you start using language like short, sharp shock - it created a culture.
“Anyone looking at that kind of language could not be in any doubt about what the politicians were saying.
“It creates a culture in which a group of people is seen as less than the rest. When that happens things start to go wrong.
“I draw the analogy with the kind of language that is being used today
around things like welfare and people in receipt of benefits.
“We almost are creating a situation where groups of people are seen as
less than the general population and we know from history that is
dangerous.
“Politicians will (often) come out and say we have to learn lessons
from this, yet the people who never learn lessons are the politicians.”
A LEADING sexual trauma expert has been drafted in to provide extra
support to a team of detectives investigating abuse at a former
North-East detention centre.
Psychotherapist Zoe Lodrick visited the Durham Constabulary Police
headquarters at Aykley Heads yesterday morning (Wednesday, February 12)
to help Operation Seabrook – one of the largest investigations of its
kind centred on Medomsley Detention Centre, near Consett.
Ms Lodrick produced a video for victims and spoke to officers on how
best to deal with the effects of listening to the horrific stories of
abuse victims suffered.
Her visit came as police revealed that more than 400 confirmed victims
had come forward since a new investigation was launched last August,
into claims of sexual and physical abuse at the Home Office-run centre
between the late 1960s and mid 1980s.
Investigating officer Detective Sergeant Wayne Barrigan said: “Zoe
Lodrick has been speaking to officers on how to deal with hearing
repetitive stories of trauma.
“It can have a knock-on effect on officers without them even realising it.
“So it was to make us aware and to be able to cope with the information we are coming across, for the long-term.”
He added: “What what we also identified through our inquiries is that a
lot of victims are feeling shame and guilt about why they allowed the
abuse to happen to them.
“Zoe has produced a video help them understand that what they did was a normal human reaction in the circumstances.
“We plan to put a webcast on our website and on YouTube, where victims can access that in their own time.”
Ms Lodrick said: “The webcast will explain why survivors or victims of
sexual abuse - particularly the kind of abuse that happened at
Medomsley - often feel very guilty and ashamed and feel responsible.
“It’s to help them understand why.
“Logically it would make sense to fight, run, scream or tell someone,
and (it’s to say) why victims of sexual abuse hardly ever do that.
“It’s just to help people forgive themselves, because so many survivors of child abuse and torture never forgive themselves.”
She added: “Victims rarely react the way they might expect. Shock,
horror and normal human survival reactions will frequently result in a
passive defensive reaction.”
A previous police investigation led to the conviction of prison
officer Neville Husband, who was jailed for ten years for sexually
abusing several teenagers at the Medomsley. He died of natural causes
after being released from prison.
Full report: Man claims police dismissed abuse claims
Exclusive By Gavin Engelbrecht
Exclusive By Gavin Engelbrecht
