Medomsley Detention Centre

Built in 1960 on what was once a Victorian orphanage, Medomsley Detention Centre was operated by the Home Office. the penalty for which would later be a non-custodial community sentence. Detention typically lasted six to eight weeks. The site reopened as the private Hassockfield Secure Training Centre from 1999 to 2015. In June 2019, plans were proposed to redevelop the site for housing. "Short, sharp shock" policy The policy involved incarcerating boys convicted of minor misdemeanors in what have since been described as "sadistic, brutal concentration camps", where inmates were routinely humiliated and violently sexually assaulted. Inmates were routinely physically attacked for not saying "sir" when addressing a guard and were often forced to stand naked, visible to guards, for long periods of time. ==Abuse==

Inmates in Medomsley were sexually and physically abused, throughout the life of the detention centre. The physical abuse sometimes resulted in hospitalisations due to severe injuries, including broken bones, wounds and loss of consciousness. Many inmates were raped by staff. The wide variety of physical abuse and humiliation incidents included detainees being dragged from the toilets semi-naked for not finishing soon enough or for not preparing food quickly, being dragged by the hair during a beating, being force-fed salt for speaking during a meal, being punched for not saying "sir" to officers, almost drowning while locked in a box that was filled with water similar to water-boarding, being knocked from a 20-foot height then forced to walk with a broken back and being kicked, stamped on and pelted with heavy objects. One victim said prison officers also orchestrated violence by inmates, having noticed that while he was "being kicked and punched and slapped", he "saw a prison officer at the door smiling." He said: "They were telling you that you were worthless, that's why you were in there, you were no good, nobody wanted you." Police believe many of the staff belonged to an "organised paedophile ring". In 1970, Neville Husband, the chef and later a church cleric, moved to Medomsley where he raped inmates every day for 15 years. The constituency MP Laura Pidcock described the centre as "a living hell". Concealment The public was prevented from learning of the abuse in various ways. Rape victims were silenced with death threats and beatings. At least 14 victims were ignored by police when they tried reporting the abuse upon their release, with rape victim Kevin Young being silenced with threats of being returned to Medomsley. Tony Skillen, whose skull was broken by a violent prison guard, was forced to pretend to hospital staff that the injury was accidental. Relatives of David Caldwel, a chronic asthma sufferer, believe his inquest ignored the role of extreme physical training that was forced by violent prison guards in triggering his fatal asthma attack. The Home Office dismissed and denied numerous reports of abuse. Serial rapist Neville Husband used a kitchen store room as a bedroom containing sexual paraphernalia, where he forced a boy to sleep each night. He concealed the nightly rapes by prohibiting staff from searching the kitchen area. An officer testified "We knew something was going on, he – Husband – used to keep a boy behind in the kitchen at night, we always felt sorry for that boy." In 2019, Operation Seabrook's lead investigator Detective Adrian Green found it "likely" other staff at Medomsley were aware "that physical and potentially sexual abuse was occurring" and "kept quiet about it". He added: "They should have intervened" and "shame on them." Detective Green warned "If I got any evidence to suggest cases of cover-ups I would be looking to prosecute." ==Investigations==

Two police investigations led to seven former officers who abused Medomsley detainees being jailed for nearly 34 years in total. Operation Halter saw serial rapist Lead investigator Detective Simon Orton said in 2003 "There could be a lot more [victims of Neville Husband]. But I would anticipate there are people who have put it behind them and would simply want to leave it that way. We will have to respect that." The investigation was carried out by 70 Detectives from Durham Constabulary. Counselling was offered to victims by "The Meadows", a nearby Sexual Assault Referral Centre. He said Operation Seabrook would "go where the evidence takes us" John McCabe was extremely thankful for the victim-centred investigative approach taken by Durham Constabulary, saying "Everything they are doing is victims focussed. They have done so much for the other victims and it means a lot me" and "When you look at the network of help they have put in place it is totally unbelievable." By February 2017, 1400 victims had reported sexual or physical abuse to Operation Seabrook. 32 suspects were identified and 32 files were provided to the Crown Prosecution Service. By November, seven were charged and a further six were warned they could be charged if any new evidence emerges against them. The Crown Prosecution Service explained that some other abusers were no longer alive or were too difficult to identify. The seven charged men were released on bail. All faced charges of physical abuse and four were also charged with sexual abuse. They denied every charge. In August 2018, a further 11 faced no action because of insufficient available evidence. The six former Medomsley officers who received warnings remained under investigation. The investigation was made difficult by some victims not recalling names of abusers or only knowing their nicknames, by victims' backgrounds and by the length of time since the crimes. The detective now leading the investigation, Chief Superintendent Adrian Green, explained that perpetrators were identified by showing victims old photographs of Medomsley staff and "timelines of nicknames". He said "it becomes difficult to turn these things into evidence." He said, "It's never ending for those individuals, and one of the important things is that this has allowed them to have a voice for them to be heard. ... Many of these people, are very very badly damaged by what occurred and that's devastated their lives." Detective Green described Operation Seabrook as "incredibly long and complex", having taken "more than five years". Far more victims had reported abuse than expected and he praised their "courage", saying "it is not easy to relive such distressing incidents". He was "extremely proud" of the investigators who "worked extremely hard" On 12 March 2019, following the verdict in the final trial, Judge Howard Crownson lifted the restrictions, allowing details from the three trials to finally be published. ==Victims==

Over 1,800 former detainees reported sexual and extreme physical abuse by officers in Medomsley, Others victims suffered recurring nightmares about Medomsley, even after 40 years, upon "the most vulnerable kids in society" In 2014, she called for the case to be reopened and fully investigated. She felt the inquest, which attributed Caldwell's death to natural causes, "was a waste of time" because "they weren't interested" and "weren't listening" to her information. She said "I have got asthma, too, and I know if you get agitated it can bring it on – and he had asthma worse than me. I believe the attack was brought on by his ill-treatment." Ian Shackleton Ian Shackleton, who had diabetes, fell into a coma and died in 1981 after being denied insulin. and "the memories will never go out of my brain". Ian Farrer At 17, Ian Farrer was physically abused and humiliated in Medomsley in 1987 and reported this to police in 2014. He experienced physical abuse daily and recalled being knocked to the ground with "a massive blow to my kidneys", then hit on the head by a prison guard for having a loose buckle. Farrer recalled other inmates intentionally having their own legs broken in order to avoid the violent attacks they might otherwise face. Prison guards routinely woke inmates during the night with loud noises and forced them to "do bunnyhops all around the place". He had been sent to Medomsley for four months for handling stolen property. Rod Jones Rod Jones "never got over" abuse in Medomsley, even after 50 years. Aged 17, he was locked inside a laundry basket and rolled a quarter of a mile. A hose was inserted and he said "I could feel myself drowning. It was like water-boarding. I lost consciousness and the next thing I knew I was tipped out onto the floor of my cell." He was subjected to "beating after beating" and, desperate to escape, confessed to over a hundred crimes he had never committed. Officers also gave him a rope, telling him to hang himself or "they would do it for me". John McCabe John McCabe, a 17-year-old from Scotland, spent six months in Medomsley in the early 1980s; Neville Husband raped him nearly every night he was there. In 2012 he sought an enquiry, together with his local MP for East Kilbride, Michael McCann, who wrote "a formal request" for a full inquiry to Justice Secretary Ken Clarke. McCann attributed Operation Seabrook's launch to McCabe's "bravery and his ability to speak out about it, and giving up his anonymity", which resulted in McCann "raising the matter at Prime Minister’s Questions" and "finally convinced County Durham Police Force to open up the investigation." Operation Seabrook's lead investigator Detective Superintendent Paul Goundry praised "Mr McCabe’s courage in allowing himself to be named" and said McCabe "motivated not only myself, but also my team, to bring others to justice." Ray Poar At 17, Ray Poar was incarcerated in Medomsley for stealing biscuits. In the years following his incarceration in Medomsley, Poar suffered a nervous breakdown and almost jumped into a swollen river in a suicide attempt. and "it's ruined my life, it's completely ruined it." Barry Segar Barry Segar, who was incarcerated in Medomsley when he was a boy, revealed in 2019 that he still suffers "nightmares" and is still too afraid to leave his home because "going places" causes recurring "flashbacks ... my body shakes", and said he was attending counselling. Tony Skillen At 16, Tony Skillen was hospitalised because his skull was broken in a severe beating by Christopher Onslow. "Discipline officer" Brian Johnson Greenwell forced Skillen to pretend in hospital that the injury Onslow inflicted was caused by an accidental fall. The experience caused Skillen 40 years of "awful mental health problems" and was "still a nightmare to look back on". He said Medomsley was "like a concentration camp" where "the daily routine was just violence" that "never stopped" because "if you weren't getting it, someone else was". In Medomsley, Skillen feared for his life. Dave Stoker Dave Stoker was also sent to Medomsley at age 17 for a minor theft. Also a victim of Neville Husband, was "frightened to tell anyone", because Husband told him, "he would make my life hell", if the sexual abuse became known. This left Stoker feeling "so disgusted", "dirty" and "ashamed", pushing him to alcoholism. He died of cirrhosis of the liver. Peter Toole Peter Toole was sent to Medomsley in 1985 at age 20 for handling stolen goods. He had his head banged into a wall immediately upon arriving. In 2019, he said, "they tried to break you. The place was run on violence". Kevin Young At 17, Husband tied him up, blindfolded him Officers at Consett police station silenced Young by threatening to return him to Medomsley and ignored his complaint. ==Perpetrators==

Seven former officers were jailed for abusing Medomsley inmates, including two for sexual abuse. Police suspected the two belonged to a larger child sex abuse ring. Judge Howard Crowson said officers frequently punched and stamped on inmates, which went beyond what legally permissible even in those days and amounted to criminal misconduct. He said more abusers remain at large and that he "would be looking to prosecute" those who covered it up. Neville Husband Neville Husband, the chef and later a church cleric, raped boys at Medomsley every day for 15 years Detective Orton said: "It is clear that this man forced himself on the young men in his charge. I can only surmise how many other people have been through his clutches. I think the sentence was entirely appropriate and reflected the abhorrent nature of the breach of trust he perpetrated all those years ago." Prison service director Sir Martin Narey apologised to Husband's victims "without reservation", saying "we should have stopped him much earlier." One victim, Kevin Young, described him as "one of the most power crazed men I have come across and I have met some violent people". Husband tied up and blindfolded Young, ordered him to strip naked and took pornographic photographs of him. Husband was married with one child. In 1994 he became a minister at the United Reformed Church and ran two churches. An inquiry ordered by the Ministry of Justice attributed 343 offences to Husband, "possibly the most prolific sex offender in British history", and exposed "shameful failings" by authorities, in their report in 2025. This led to apologies from Durham Constabulary and the MoJ, which also apologised on "behalf of all governments, past and present". Leslie Johnson Leslie Johnson's jail sentence in 2005 was six years for sexually abusing Medomsley inmates. He also received a suspended sentence of nine months in 1990 for sexually assaulting a boy in Medomsley and a second boy elsewhere. Johnson was previously arrested at Medomsley in 1985. He worked in Medomsley as a "storeman". (three counts). An officer forced him to get up and walk in extreme agony to the medical room. His injuries were so severe that he spent weeks in a body cast. walloped his head again, tearing his ear, then pelted him with heavy medicine balls. The victim said it "was the most violent experience of my life and I thought I was going to die that day", describing Medomsley as "an absolute hell hole" and "torture". Onslow organised physical training for inmates from 1975 to 1985 and frequently assaulted inmates in the gym. Onslow and other officers tormented a mixed race detainee with an onslaught of racist abuse. Onslow beat a boy on the head using a shoe, for not reaching the showers fast enough. While he was desperately fleeing, the boy collided with a concrete post and lost consciousness, causing migraines that continued for decades. Onslow beat up another inmate for picking a team of inmates that won a game of football against a staff team and violently attacked a 17-year-old who lost a 200-metre race because this lost him a £10 bet. He was described by David Alan Brown as an "animal" that "loved every minute" of being "aggressive and very violent" He was a Medomsley officer from 1974 to 1983. He was a chef and a "discipline officer" in Medomsley from 1973 to 1988. Alan Bramley Alan Bramley (nicknamed "Bong Eye") received a one-and-a-half year prison sentence in 2019 for misconduct in public office. He punched a detainee for supporting the Sunderland football team. When he was convicted on 12 March 2019, Bramley was released on bail until his sentencing in April. He was a Medomsley officer from 1973 to 1977. ==Calls for an inquiry==

From around 2002, Kevin Young and other victims have called for abuse in Medomsley to be investigated by a full public inquiry. In 2019, legal experts also sought a full open inquiry because they believe some instances of abuse in Medomsley were severe enough to have violated Article 3 of the Human Rights Act, which prohibits "torture" and "inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment." They said the authorities' failure to stop the abuse was another cogent reason for an inquiry. Jonny Hall, a solicitor in the Student Law Office in Northumbria University, said not holding one "shows lack of respect for the human rights of vulnerable people and fails to uphold the rule of law." He said a public inquiry is needed "to get to the heart of how it was that they could perpetrate such violence against the inmates for such a long period of time". William Kew, a student in the Student Law Office at the time, said "these people were in detention so they were under the state's protection. There was no way they could escape any ill-treatment they received." He continued, "there's always that worry that something could be happening in another place now." The law firm Ben Hoare Bell, in collaboration with students from Northumbria University's Student Law Office, wrote to Home Secretary Sajid Javid with a 16-page letter seeking a public inquiry into Medomsley abuse. The firm's Andrew Freckleton said "Medomsley was an institution in which physical and sexual abuse were commonplace. Those convicted were the tip of the iceberg." In April 2019, the law firm Ben Hoare Bell also asked the chairperson of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse to review the limit on its scope that restricted this inquiry to sexual abuse of children. ==See also==