Thursday 26 September 2019

Former Medomsley detention centre in £25m housing plan

27 June 2019

Image caption The detention centre closed in 1988
The site of a former detention centre where hundred of inmates were abused could be turned into a £25m housing estate.

The unit in Medomsley, which closed in 1988, held offenders aged between 17 and 21 who had committed relatively minor crimes.

Three of the centre's officers were jailed in April for abusing inmates in the 1970s and 80s.
Homes England wants to build 150 properties on the 13 hectare site.

The government housing agency, which is working with Durham County Council, unveiled the plans for Medomsley Edge at a public meeting earlier at Medomsley Methodist Church Hall.

One former detention centre inmate, Peter Toole, described the proposal as "disgusting".

'Bulldoze it'

The facility later became Hassockfield Secure Training Centre, which closed in 2015 with the loss of about 150 jobs.

Councillor Alan Shield said he hoped the estate would "encourage people to move in to the area."

Phil Jones, senior development manager for Homes England, said: "Medomsley is well located for local people commuting to Durham and Newcastle and the proposals for Medomsley Edge will help to create much needed, high quality homes in an area where they want to live."

The plans are for 150 homes on the site, with the remaining 
land becoming public open space
But Mr Toole said the best course would be to get rid of the site completely.

"Bulldoze it, flatten it, but turn it into a nice big field with a memorial to the lads that have suffered and leave it at that."

An outline planning application for the housing scheme is to be submitted by mid-summer.

Source

Monday 13 May 2019

Wednesday 17 April 2019

Medomsley detention centre saw hundreds sexually abused

12 March 2019
 Neville Husband
Neville Husband was jailed in 2003 for abusing five teenagers at the unit in Medomsley, County Durham.

An officer at a former youth detention centre sexually assaulted hundreds of inmates, it has emerged.

Other victims then came forward, and in 2005 Husband admitted four more attacks. He died in 2010.

But the BBC's Inside Out programme has found the Ministry of Justice has spent £3.6m settling 237 compensation claims for sexual abuse committed by him.

Medomsley, which closed in 1988, held offenders aged between 17 and 21 who had committed relatively minor crimes.

But the regime - the "short, sharp, shock" designed to steer them away from a life of crime - was described as brutal, with one former inmate likening it to a "concentration camp, run on violence".

Five other former officers have now been convicted in connection with the physical abuse.

Media captionRay Poar, who was 17 at the time, said the abuse had left him feeling ashamed all his life
However, for some victims the abuse was sexual. Husband was in charge of the kitchen and raped and abused young men on an "almost daily basis" over a period of years, police said, while other officers allegedly turned a blind eye.

One of his victims - who has waived his right to anonymity - was Ray Poar, sent to Medomsley at the age of 17 for stealing biscuits.

He said: "He shoved me against the wall and he had his hand around my throat, squeezing and squeezing tighter and tighter, and all the time telling me that I was going to do what he wanted.

"I just let him do it. I didn't want to go through that again, I didn't want to die.

"It was the same every time from then on. It became part of the day.

"I'm ashamed of myself... it's ruined my life, it's completely ruined it."
'Felt so disgusted'

Another victim, Dave Stoker, who has since died, was also aged 17 when sent to Medomsley for minor theft.

He told the BBC in 2015: "[Husband] told me if it got out he would make my life hell. I was frightened to tell anyone.

"I was so disgusted. I felt dirty and ashamed of myself. It's turned me to drink."

Mr Stoker developed cirrhosis of the liver and died in 2017.

Husband was jailed for eight years in 2003, and his sentence increased by a further two in 2005 after more victims came forward.

In the same year a storeman at the centre, Leslie Johnson, who has also since died, was sentenced to six years in jail for sexual offences.

Operation Seabrook has become one of the largest investigations of its kind in the UK
However, many more men came forward alleging sexual or physical abuse by a number of former officers and in 2013 Durham Police reopened its enquiries.

This became one of the largest investigations of its kind in the UK and the force said the current number of potential victims was "1,668 and rising".

The force said in a statement: "It is not possible to say how many men were sexually assaulted by Husband [as] victims may have named a male called "Neville", "The Chef" or "Husband", however in the absence of a formal ID Procedure (due to the fact the suspect deceased) we cannot categorically state that the male known personally to these victims is Husband.

"At this stage of the investigation we have in excess of 300 allegations linked to him, however, once the investigation is concluded it is highly likely that these numbers will be considerably higher."
'Brutal regime'

Det Supt Paul Goundry, who initially led the investigation, said: "They were sent there for riding in a stolen car, pinching a pedal cycle, minor shoplifting - you'd never dream of that nowadays.

"When they got there they were faced with what is effectively a brutal regime, and if you ended up in the kitchen you would almost certainly be raped or sexually abused."

Men guilty of detention centre abuse

A Freedom of Information request submitted by the BBC to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) revealed the MoJ has spent "£3.6m on damages settling 237 private law claims for compensation relating to sexual abuse committed by Neville Husband."

The MoJ said in a statement: "It is right that those responsible for such appalling behaviour are finally being brought to justice and we hope never to see abuse on this scale ever again.

"The culture of care and the safeguards in custody have improved hugely since Medomsley closed, but we are not complacent.

"We will continue to improve safeguards and track down any kind of abuse, and will continue working with police to bring to justice those who committed abuse in the past."

You can see more on this story on BBC Inside Out in the North East and Cumbria at 23:45 GMT on Wednesday 13 March 2019 and afterwards on the iPlayer.

Neville Husband, who died in 2010, was in charge of the kitchen at Medomsley

Source 

Sunday 31 March 2019

Medomsley Detention Centre scandal: Who could and should have stopped abuse? We ask victims politicians and experts

We ask victims, politicians and experts whether appalling abuse at County Durham detention centre could have been stopped, and if lessons really have been learned for the future.
 Medomsley Detention Centre, pictured in 1998 (Image: Mirrorpix)

It was dark ages style abuse that was allowed to happen in living memory.

Behind the secure fences of a detention centre on the outskirts of a County Durham village teenage offenders were subjected to brutal and degrading violence on a daily basis, and yet no seemed willing or able to step in and stop it.

And such was the culture of fear and oppression at Medomsley Detention Centre, when prolific sex offender Neville Husband preyed on the young detainees there was no one they could turn to for help.

Husband, who it is thought could have sexually assaulted more than 300 inmates, was eventually jailed for some of his crimes in 2003 and has since died.

And this week we were finally able to reveal that five former Medomsley officers have been convicted of subjecting inmates to horrific violent and degrading abuse at Medomsley during the 1970s and 80s.

The scale of the widespread culture of systematic violence only came to light after Durham Constabulary launched a new investigation into what went on at Medomsley in 2013, called Operation Seabrook. So far more than 1700 people have come forward to report that they were abused at Medomsley between the 1960s and when the centre closed in 1988.

But now questions are being asked about how such unthinkable abuse was allowed to continue for so long unchecked, and whether similar horrors could be repeated in 2019.

Today we ask victims, politicians and experts who could and should have stopped the abuse.
Frances Cook:
 Frances Cook (Image: handout)

Frances is the chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, a charity which aims to tackle crime by reforming the prison system.

She believes everyone who was working at Medomsley when the abuse occurred has to take some responsibility for turning a blind eye, especially those in charge that seemingly lost control.

"Even if the people in charge did not support it, the fact it continued for so long suggests it was tolerated," she said. "I have seen governors hiding in their offices because they are are not coping with managing the prison. If you have got a group of staff who are running the place and bullying the young people they are also probably bullying other staff members and it becomes very difficult for staff.

"But this culture of bullying goes all the way up from the bottom to the top. Every body needs to take responsibility."

Frances believes the Medomsley horrors could have been stopped if the inmates had someone trustworthy to talk to. And she fears young people in custody are still being abused in more hidden ways.
  Read More: 'He was an animal': Medomsley Detention Centre victim opens up about officer's vile abuse

She said: "Unfortunately the thing is that people don't listen to young people, particularly when they are incarcerated. It's still happening. We have still got 900 children in custody. If you don't listen to them and don't ask them you won't know.

"We have seen institutions where there were systematic beatings going on in the past, but now it's more subtle than that. You can't see the bruises because young people are locked-up in isolation and they are injured there. That is still systematic abuse. I think it is absolutely across the system. Every prison is doing it to children and young people, it's still happening.

The victims:

 
Bernard Gordon, now 60, was a Medomsley inmate in 1977.

He believes the staff that were not involved in the abuse themselves failed the young detainees by not speaking out.

He said: "There was one screw who was all right with everybody, but I used to think; 'How can you do this when you know what's going on. It's your responsibility to tell somebody." People knew what was going on but nobody said nothing."

Bernard, who was 19 when he was sent to Medomsley for seven weeks,  for stealing a car, remembers that as he was released the governor asked him how his time at the detention centre had been.

But such was the culture of fear at Medomsley, and so determined were inmates to get out without any fuss, Bernard, from Middlesbrough, revealed nothing.

"I was due to get released, and before you got out you got all dressed up to go and see the governor," he explained. "He asked me whether I had had any problems there. But I just thought; 'stuff it', I'm getting out of here. No one would have dared say anything, everybody was petrified. And he just said; 'right go.' But he must have known what was going on as much as anybody else. All I wanted to do was get away."

And Doug Corkhill, 59, who was sent to Medomsley in 1978 after being convicted of a number of burglaries, said there should have been someone inmates could talk to.


He said: "There were social workers in there, but you couldn't talk to them. The screws would sit with the social workers and you would hear roars of laughter. They should have been on our side but they weren't. The social workers were no different from the screws."

Professor Nick Hardwick:
 
 Professor Nick Hardwick has led number of charities and criminal justice organisations, including Centrepoint, and the British Refugee Council.

Most recently he was Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons Chair Parole Board.

Prof Hardwick, who now carries out research at Royal Holloway University's School of Law, is calling for a culture where staff are obliged to whistle blow on colleagues they suspect of wrongdoing, and a safe and supportive system in which they can do so.

"I think there's a real issue for other staff as it's really difficult to whistle blow in these closed institutions," he said. "I think there is an obligation for staff to blow the whistle.  I would like to see a duty of candour where staff are required to report what they see. That makes everybody responsible."

Read More: The full story of the Medomsley Detention Centre scandal as vile abusers are finally unmasked

    The full story of the Medomsley Detention Centre scandal as vile abusers are finally unmasked

Prof Hardwick also believes questions need to be asked of the Prison Service and Inspectorate at the time.

He says prison inspectors in the 1980s focused on efficiency, and gave little attention to the welfare of inmates.

"It is worth noting that the policy at the time was that it was going to be a 'short, sharp, shock' , but that created a culture where what was clearly unacceptable happened," he said.

"The management of the centres and the Prison Service at the time does have some repsonsibility. It was their jobs to know what was going on. There are people who do need to look very hard at themselves and ask 'What was I aware of?' and 'Could I or should I have done more'". I think there will have been good staff at Medomsley who will be asking themselves those questions now.

"Inspectors need to talk to the people who are in there. You need to talk to them in private and in confidence. I think that is understood now, but even now there are lessons to be learned. We need to keep having all these conversations . There's a real danger that people just say 'that happened a long time ago and it couldn't happen now'.

"Wherever you have got this power imbalance between staff and young people it creates a dangerous environment."

Rachael Maskell MP:

Labour MP for York Central Maskell believes police missed opportunities to step in at the time the abuse was happening at Medomsley.

She has been supporting one constituent who says he contacted Durham officers as soon as he was released from the detention centre, but nothing was done.

"There were people that could have intervened. there are serious questions about people that say they didn't know when it was an open secret," she said. "Parts of the institution were not open for inspection or to other members of staff to visit. There needs to be a further investigation.

"I met with the Home Secretary just the other day to have a discussion about this, because one of my constituents, on leaving Medomsley, went straight to the police in Consett and raised his concerns about the abuse he had faced. He was told if he were to pursue this complaint he would end up back inside there."

"This must be one of the worst cases of historic child abuse in our country. The whole system has moved on and safeguarding is at the fore now, but we have got to listen to victims.

"We still have cases, like in Rotherham, where victims go to police and are not believed. We have got to continually examine what's happened in the past.


Richard Hardy:

Richard Hardy

Richard is a partner at Ben Hoare Bell solicitors, in Sunderland, which is representing more than 300 former Medomsley inmates.

He believes the Prison Service failed inmates, and a public inquiry is the only way the community can be confident that all those responsible for the abuse have answered for their actions, and similar events are not repeated.

He said: "While recognising that five former employees have been convicted, out clients' evidence amounts to a far more serious indication of abuse at the prison than these convictions alone, and that there were systematic failures to respond to such abuse.

Read More: Sex abuse victims hit out at Boris Johnson's 'spaffed' comments about historic investigations

"While we welcome the conviction of five employees, the truth is Medomsley was an institution in which physical and sexual abuse were commonplace. Those convicted are a tip of the iceberg of others who took part, turned a blind eye or failed to investigate. This constitutes a shocking failure of our prison system."

Richard says clients have told him that assaults were so regular almost all staff must have been aware of them.

And when a small number of those did report abuse police, probation officers or other authorities no action was taken.

What happened at Medomsley is already being examined the long-running Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) however, so far the Home Office has refused calls for a public enquiry.

But Richard believes it is essential what happened to young adults as well as children at Medomsley is fully examined.

Saturday 30 March 2019

Medomsley abuse scandal: When will ex-officers be sentenced and what punishments can they expect?

More than 1,700 former inmates have reported being physically or sexually abused at the County Durham detention centre


18:00, 29 MAR 2019

THE MEDOMSLEY DETENTION CENTRE ABUSE SCANDAL EXPLAINED

Former officers who subjected vulnerable inmates to vile abuse at Medomsley Detention Centre could be facing years behind bars themsleves.

Sentencing hearings for five former employees of the brutal County Durham youth facility will begin at Teesside Crown Court next week.

Christopher Onslow, John McGee, Brian Johnson Greenwell, Kevin Blakely and Alan Bramley have all been convicted of misconduct in a public office, in relation to their employment at Medolmsley, during the 1970s and 1980s.

The offence carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Onlsow, 72, who was in charge of physical training at physical training at Medomsley between 1975 and 1985, was also convicted of three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH), one of inflicting grievous bodily harm (GBH) and one offence of wounding with intent to cause GBH.


Five officers convicted of Medomsley abuse, from left, Kevin Blakely, Alan Bramley, Brian Greenwell, John McGee and Christopher Onslow

They are offences which can also result in years behind bars.

McGee, 74, worked at Medomsley as a prison officer between January 1975 and February 1982. He was also found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

READ MORE
The full story of the Medomsley Detention Centre scandal as vile abusers are finally unmasked
Onlsow, McGee and Blakely, 67, are due to be sentenced next Thursday, April 4.

While Greenwell, 71, and Bramley, 70, will learn their fates on April 18.

Built in 1960 on the site of a Victorian orphanage, near Consett, Medomsley Detention Centre was designed to house offenders aged 17 to 21 and keep them out of prison and away from the influence of older criminals.

The centre could hold more than 130 inmates, but at any one time it typically housed around 70 offenders, mainly from the north of England. Many were first-time offenders and had been detained for relatively minor crimes.

READ MORE
Watch former Medomsley inmate recall harrowing rape ordeal and the detention centre's brutal regime
Inmates typically spent six to eight weeks at the Home Office-run centre before being released.

Durham Constabulary launched Operation Seabrook in August 2013 after a victim came forward to report being abused at the centre.

Medomsley Detention Centre as it looks today (Image: Newcastle Chronicle)

Predator Neville Husband had previously been jailed for 10 years for sexually abusing boys while working at the facility. He died at the age of 72 in 2010.

But following publicity surrounding the launch of Seabrook, hundreds of men began to come forward making allegations that they were physically or sexually abused by different staff members at Medomsley.

READ MORE
Did Medomsley kill my dad? Horrified son discovers father who took his own life had been held at brutal detention centre

The abuse is alleged to have taken place over many years, mainly in the 1970s and 1980s.

Det Chief Supt Adrian Green, who led the new investigation for Durham Constabulary, said: "These are individuals that have abused their positions, either by taking that opportunity, or seeking out that opportunity, who used their position in public office to gain access to vulnerable individuals.

"These people had been getting on with their lives, what's nice is we have been able to bring justice to these people who think they have got away with it and re-balance the situation for the victims."

READ MORE

Medomsley Detention Centre Scandal

David Alan Brown, was violently abused at Medomsley Detention Centre in 1981. He has given evidence in recent trials

Victim on officer's vile abuse

A special 30 minute BBC Inside Out North East & Cumbria presented by Chris Jackson on the Medomsley investigation will be broadcast on BBC One

Ex-governor 'very sorry'
This is not the end - police

Onslow and McGee have submitted appeals against their convictions for misconduct in a public office.

Two other former officers, David McClure, 63, and Neil Sowerby, 62, were cleared of all charges against them.

Source

Tuesday 26 March 2019

Five officers convicted of physical abuse at detention centre

Medomsley abuse inquiry: Five former officers at detention centre for young prisoners convicted of assaults and misconduct The former Medomsley detention centre.


The former Medomsley detention centre.

Tuesday 12 March 2019
Five officers have been convicted of physical abuse on young prisoners at a detention centre following one of the UK's biggest police investigations of its kind, it can now be reported.

Durham Police spoke to 1,676 former inmates of MedomsleyDetention Centre, near Consett, about the abusive treatment and beatings they endured from the 1960s to its closure in 1988.
Christopher Onslow, 72. Christopher Onslow, 72. The detention centre housed young inmates from across the North East.

Lead police officer calls for further victims to come forward Following a series of trials at Teesside Crown Court, it can now be reported that five former staff members have been convicted of offences including misconduct in a public office after jurors were told much of the violence was "for the enjoyment of the officers".

Judge Howard Crownson lifted reporting restrictions on the hearings after the verdicts were returned in the last of three trials. John McGee, 74.

John McGee, 74.

Prosecutors praise victims of 'a savage and brutal regime' at youth detention centre One young prisoner was beaten up by the officer in charge of physical training when he tried to tell him that another officer - later jailed for sexual abuse - had raped him in the kitchens.

The same officer threw rocks at another prisoner causing him to fall in the gym and damage vertebrae, and another victim of a different guard was forced to remove his underwear and "bunny hop" to the showers.
Successive juries were told how a favoured device of some who worked at the centre, which housed under-21s who had been given short custodial sentences, was to ask new entries their name, and then punch or kick them when they failed to add "Sir" in their responses.

 Brian Greenwell, 71. Brian Greenwell, 71.

The officers involved in the abuse were brought to justice after Durham Police launched Operation Seabrook in 2013 to look into allegations relating to the the centre.

Describing the extent of the ill-treatment that some of the young men experienced, prosecutor Jamie Hill QC said: "There was an atmosphere of fear and violence throughout the institution, and, we say, that atmosphere allowed officers such as these defendants to commit offences in the knowledge that that type of behaviour was sanctioned by their colleagues.

 "To simply say that it was a different time with different attitudes would be to abdicate responsibility for investigating serious allegations of crime against people made vulnerable due to their incarceration.

The seven defendants were split up into three separate trials, with five being convicted and two cleared.

Kevin Blakely, 67. Kevin Blakely, 67.

A jury heard how 72-year-old Christopher Onslow was in charge of physical training at the facility between 1975 and 1985, but "exploited his position of authority in a consistently sadistic and brutal fashion".

One of his victims was climbing an obstacle course, but got stuck whilst around 20ft in the air, prompting the then-officer, nicknamed "The Machine" to throw rocks at him until he fell backwards onto the ground.

It was later discovered that the trainee had suffered three crushed vertebrae. Onslow beat up an inmate who had been sent to work in the kitchens and was raped by Neville Husband - later convicted of sexually abusing inmates.

When the inmate said: "There's something amiss with Mr Husband in the kitchens", Onslow launched an attack and told him never to tell anyone else.

Another young offender was aged 17 when the defendant "lost control of himself" and kicked and stamped on him, before throwing medicine balls at him.

 Alan Bramley, 70. Alan Bramley, 70.

He beat up an inmate who lost a 200m race during sports day, saying he had lost a £10 bet on the 17-year-old. Mr Hill said of Onslow: "He took advantage of the power that had been entrusted to him and abused it to an alarming degree."

He was eventually convicted by a jury of two counts of misconduct in a public office, three of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, one of inflicting grievous bodily harm, and one of wounding.

Ex-officer John McGee, 74, punched one victim who was serving a three-month sentence in the face, before forcing him to remove his underwear and "bunny-hop" to the showers after he had soiled himself.

He was found guilty of misconduct in a public office and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, while his colleague Brian Greenwell, 71, was convicted of misconduct in a public office. Onslow, McGee and Greenwell were found not guilty of sexual offences against the young offenders.
Kevin Blakely, 67, nicknamed Broken Nose by inmates and who worked at Medomsley between 1974 and 1983, was convicted of misconduct in a public office by assaulting and abusing detainees, but cleared of causing actual bodily harm and unlawful wounding.

Alan Bramley, 70, who worked there for four years from 1973 and was dubbed Bong Eye, was convicted of misconduct in a public office by assaulting and abusing prisoners, but cleared of causing actual bodily harm and unlawful wounding.

Durham Police said that Onslow and McGee have launched appeals against their convictions.

David McClure, 63, and Neil Sowerby, 62, were cleared of all offences, including misconduct in a public office, buggery and indecent assault.

 The five men are due to be sentenced at a later date. Judge Crowson told Bramley and Blakely - the final two to be convicted - they could have bail.

He said: "I do not have any doubts about you returning, you must understand when you return, there are possibilities including prison. I will have to decide whether that is the appropriate sentence on the next occasion."

Source

Five officers convicted of physical abuse at detention centre



Five officers have been convicted of physical abuse on young prisoners at a detention centre following one of the UK's biggest police investigations of its kind, it can now be reported.

Durham Police spoke to 1,676 former inmates of Medomsley Detention Centre, near Consett, about the abusive treatment and beatings they endured from the 1960s to its closure in 1988.

 

Christopher Onslow, 71, who worked at Medomsley Detention Centre in Consett, County Durham, and who has been convicted at Teesside Crown Court of the historic physical abuse of teenage inmates in the 1970s and 1980s.

Christopher Onslow, 71, who worked at Medomsley Detention Centre in Consett, County Durham, and who has been convicted at Teesside Crown Court of the historic physical abuse of teenage inmates in the 1970s and 1980s.

Following a series of trials at Teesside Crown Court, it can now be reported that five former staff members have been convicted of offences including misconduct in a public office after jurors were told much of the violence was "for the enjoyment of the officers".

Judge Howard Crownson lifted reporting restrictions on the hearings after the verdicts were returned in the last of three trials.

One young prisoner was beaten up by the officer in charge of physical training when he tried to tell him that another officer - later jailed for sexual abuse - had raped him in the kitchens.

The same officer threw rocks at another prisoner causing him to fall in the gym and damage vertebrae, and another victim of a different guard was forced to remove his underwear and "bunny hop" to the showers.

John McGee, 73, who worked at Medomsley Detention Centre in Consett, County Durham, and who has been convicted at Teesside Crown Court of the historic physical abuse of teenage inmates in the 1970s and 1980s.

John McGee, 73, who worked at Medomsley Detention Centre in Consett, County Durham, and who has been convicted at Teesside Crown Court of the historic physical abuse of teenage inmates in the 1970s and 1980s.

Successive juries were told how a favoured device of some who worked at the centre, which housed under-21s who had been given short custodial sentences, was to ask new entries their name, and then punch or kick them when they failed to add "Sir" in their responses.

The officers involved in the abuse were brought to justice after Durham Police launched Operation Seabrook in 2013 to look into allegations relating to the the centre.

Describing the extent of the ill-treatment that some of the young men experienced, prosecutor Jamie Hill QC said: "There was an atmosphere of fear and violence throughout the institution, and, we say, that atmosphere allowed officers such as these defendants to commit offences in the knowledge that that type of behaviour was sanctioned by their colleagues.

"To simply say that it was a different time with different attitudes would be to abdicate responsibility for investigating serious allegations of crime against people made vulnerable due to their incarceration."

Brian Greenwell, 70, who worked at Medomsley Detention Centre in Consett, County Durham, and who has been convicted at Teesside Crown Court of the historic physical abuse of teenage inmates in the 1970s and 1980s.


Brian Greenwell, 70, who worked at Medomsley Detention Centre in Consett, County Durham, and who has been convicted at Teesside Crown Court of the historic physical abuse of teenage inmates in the 1970s and 1980s.


The seven defendants were split up into three separate trials, with five being convicted and two cleared.


A jury heard how 72-year-old Christopher Onslow was in charge of physical training at the facility between 1975 and 1985, but "exploited his position of authority in a consistently sadistic and brutal fashion".


One of his victims was climbing an obstacle course, but got stuck whilst around 20ft in the air, prompting the then-officer, nicknamed "The Machine" to throw rocks at him until he fell backwards onto the ground.


It was later discovered that the trainee had suffered three crushed vertebrae.


Alan Bramley, 69, who worked at Medomsley Detention Centre in Consett, County Durham, and who has been convicted at Teesside Crown Court of the historic physical abuse of teenage inmates in the 1970s and 1980s.


Alan Bramley, 69, who worked at Medomsley Detention Centre in Consett, County Durham, and who has been convicted at Teesside Crown Court of the historic physical abuse of teenage inmates in the 1970s and 1980s.


Onslow beat up an inmate who had been sent to work in the kitchens and was raped by Neville Husband - later convicted of sexually abusing inmates.


When the inmate said "There's something amiss with Mr Husband in the kitchens", Onslow launched an attack and told him never to tell anyone else.


Another young offender was aged 17 when the defendant "lost control of himself" and kicked and stamped on him, before throwing medicine balls at him.


He beat up an inmate who lost a 200m race during sports day, saying he had lost a £10 bet on the 17-year-old.


Mr Hill said of Onslow: "He took advantage of the power that had been entrusted to him and abused it to an alarming degree."


He was eventually convicted by a jury of two counts of misconduct in a public office, three of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, one of inflicting grievous bodily harm, and one of wounding.


Kevin Blakely, 65, who worked at Medomsley Detention Centre in Consett, County Durham, and who has been convicted at Teesside Crown Court of the historic physical abuse of teenage inmates in the 1970s and 1980s.


Kevin Blakely, 65, who worked at Medomsley Detention Centre in Consett, County Durham, and who has been convicted at Teesside Crown Court of the historic physical abuse of teenage inmates in the 1970s and 1980s.


Ex-officer John McGee, 74, punched one victim who was serving a three-month sentence in the face, before forcing him to remove his underwear and "bunny-hop" to the showers after he had soiled himself.


He was found guilty of misconduct in a public office and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, while his colleague Brian Greenwell, 71, was convicted of misconduct in a public office.


Onslow, McGee and Greenwell were found not guilty of sexual offences against the young offenders.


Kevin Blakely, 67, nicknamed Broken Nose by inmates and who worked at Medomsley between 1974 and 1983, was convicted of misconduct in a public office by assaulting and abusing detainees, but cleared of causing actual bodily harm and unlawful wounding.


Alan Bramley, 70, who worked there for four years from 1973 and was dubbed Bong Eye, was convicted of misconduct in a public office by assaulting and abusing prisoners, but cleared of causing actual bodily harm and unlawful wounding.


Durham Police said that Onslow and McGee have launched appeals against their convictions.
David McClure, 63, and Neil Sowerby, 62, were cleared of all offences, including misconduct in a public office, buggery and indecent assault.


The five men are due to be sentenced at a later date.


Judge Crowson told Bramley and Blakely - the final two to be convicted - they could have bail.


He said: "I do not have any doubts about you returning, you must understand when you return, there are possibilities including prison. I will have to decide whether that is the appropriate sentence on the next occasion."


Source