Key Highlights
- The worst sex offender in history operated at Medomsley Detention Centre.
- Systemic failures allowed widespread physical and sexual abuse to continue unchecked for decades.
- Victims subjected to brutal physical, psychological, and sexual abuse.
- Few prison staff were held accountable despite widespread allegations of abuse.
Widespread Abuse at Medomsley Detention Centre
The report by Adrian Usher, the prisons and probation ombudsman (PPO), has brought to light the systemic failures that allowed severe physical and sexual abuse to continue unchecked for decades at Medomsley Detention Centre. This youth detention centre operated from 1961 to 1987 on the site of a Victorian orphanage in Durham.
Brutal Physical Abuse
Men and boys aged between 17 and 21 were subjected to brutal physical abuse at Medomsley. The treatment began even before they entered the facility, with guards punching them at the prison gates as a form of initiation. Inside, detainees endured relentless violence and humiliation, including being strip-searched, forced to carry out punishing routines, and made to do chores under military-style discipline.
Sexual Abuse Rampant
Neville Husband, who ran the kitchens at Medomsley, was identified as one of the worst sex offenders in history. He raped two or three young men every day for 18 years and was linked to 388 alleged sexual attacks out of a total of 549 documented sexual abuse allegations. The state supplied victims to Husband, who admitted to four more attacks in 2005 but died at liberty in 2010 without facing the full extent of his crimes.
Systemic Failures
The ombudsman found that successive wardens either were complicit or lacked dedication and professional curiosity, failing to protect detainees. He highlighted how complaints of abuse reached government ministers, police, and the Prison Service but were ignored or dismissed. The report describes a culture where young men felt compelled to eat glass and nails to avoid being forced into hospital, with medical staff adding to their suffering through cruel treatment.
Victims’ Stories
Tony Regan, who was 18 when sentenced to six months at Medomsley in November 1976, described the brutal conditions. He recounted being beaten four times within hours of his arrival and forced to clean floors on his hands and knees. Other detainees shared stories of sexual abuse in the kitchens, where guards would punch them as they lay in bed. Regan called for more transparency and accountability, warning that the current complaints process for children in custody remains inadequate.
Government Response
The government has paid out £7.2 million to 1,651 victims of abuse at Medomsley by September 2021. Since then, claims have increased to 2,852 victims, but the Ministry of Justice refused to disclose the total payout when asked by The Independent. Pia Sinha, chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust, emphasized that justice is long overdue and called for a public inquiry into the abuse.
Expert Perspectives
Andrea Coomber KC, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, urged public figures to read the report’s “unbearable” details. She stated that the findings must alert everyone to the reality of what can happen in places of detention when proper safeguards are lacking. The incident highlights a profound failure of care and protection, according to Coomber.
The report by Adrian Usher is a damning indictment of Medomsley Detention Centre’s systemic failures, revealing how sexual abuse could continue unchecked for decades. It calls into question the oversight mechanisms in place and demands accountability from those responsible for protecting young detainees.
