Abuse at centre went unchallenged for 26 years

NO-ONE did anything to stop the horrifying treatment of young inmates at Medomsley Detention Centre during the entire time the facility was open.

- By SOPHIE DOUGHTY

More than 2,000 men reported that they were either physically or sexually abused while being held at the County Durham centre, during the 1970s and 1980s, after police launched an investigation.

Yesterday a report, published by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) Adrian Usher, details how the appalling treatment of inmates was able to continue for so long without being challenged.

Mr Usher said: “Leaders at every level at Medomsley, including the warden, failed in their duty to protect the best interests of those under their charge.

“Either staff in leadership roles were aware of the abuse, in which case they were complicit, or they lacked dedication and professional curiosity to such an extent as to not be professionally competent.

“The abuse at Medomsley continued, unchallenged, for the entire 26 years of its operation. The knowledge of abuse by the Prison Service, the police, the Home Office and other organisations of authority was ignored and dismissed... The authorities failed in their duty to keep detainees safe.”

Medomsley Detention Centre, near Consett, was designed to hold offenders aged between 17 and 21.

It was supposed to give them a “short, sharp shock” that would deter them from further offending.

Most of the inmates had been convicted of relatively minor crimes and handed short sentences of three to six months.

However, what happened left many with a life sentence of suffering, Mr Usher said.