Special Investigation into abuse at Medomsley Detention Centre

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsmen (PPO) has opened a special investigation into the abuse which was suffered by detainees at Medomsley Detention Centre between 1961 to 1987.

Medomsley Detention Centre was a youth detention centre in Consett, County Durham, which operated the “short, sharp shock” regime from the late 1960s until 1990. Detainees were subjected to brutal, indiscriminate violence and sexual assaults from a number of officers and staff members.

Two members of staff, Neville Husband and Leslie Johnson, were convicted of sexual offences against inmates; Husband being convicted twice for the most serious sexual assaults, in 2003 and 2005. Both abusers are now deceased.

Medomsley Detention Centre was investigated as part of Operation Seabrook which was launched by the Durham Constabulary in 2013. This was one of the largest investigations of its kind. It is understood that nearly 2000 men came forward to report their allegations of the abuse they suffered.

In 2019 five former prison officers were convicted of physically assaulting detainees over the course of three separate Crown Court trials, these officers were commonly known by other names; Christopher Onslow “Machine / Mean Machine”; John McGee “Big John / Pigeon Man”; Brian Greenwell “Puppet”; Kevin Blakely “Broken Nose”; Alan Bramley “Bong Eye”.
Collectively they were jailed for more than 18 years.

The PPO will look at what the authorities knew about the abuse, what action they took and whether there were opportunities for them to have taken action or intervened earlier.
In a statement, the PPO said: “The PPO investigation will look into what the authorities knew about the abuse, what action they took and whether there were opportunities for them to have taken action or intervened.

“We will not re-investigate the facts of the abuse or re-investigate individual incidents.”

The PPO is in the process of putting together a dedicated investigation team.

Ombudsman Adrian Usher said: “This is an important investigation to understand how this large-scale abuse was able to take place. We need to find out what the authorities knew and whether there were opportunities for them to have taken action at the time.”

Jane Matthews, Head of the Abuse Team at Jordans said “We are pleased that this investigation has been commissioned and we would encourage anyone who wants to speak about their experiences to contact us and the PPO. The PPO can be contacted via this email: [email protected]

“We hope the investigation will provide answers to survivors and their families as to how and why the abuse at Medomsley was able to take place for so long.”

Jordans Solicitors have a dedicated team of highly specialist lawyers who can ensure your claim is handled sensitively, enabling you to secure the best outcome from those responsible for your traumatic experiences. We have represented a large number of clients for the abuse they suffered whilst detained at Medomsley Detention Centre in civil claims and redress scheme claims.

If you would like help with pursuing a civil claim or an application to the redress scheme, please make contact with us by e-mail, telephone on our freephone number 033 0300 1103 or by completing a request a call back form.