The seven men, who worked at Medomsley Consett, County Durham, have been summonsed to appear before Newton Aycliffe magistrates this month. Durham police launched Operation Seabrook more than four years ago into alleged abuse at the centre.
A spokesman for the police force said the seven men, who are aged from 61 to 73, will appear on 19 December to answer charges of misconduct in a public office and alleged physical abuse offences. Some will also answer sexual abuse charges.
- Allegations from 1,500 former prisoners
- Accusations of sexual and physical mistreatment
- Claims dating back to 1960s
More than 1,480 men have contacted the inquiry team to report allegations of either sexual or physical assaults while detained at Medomsley, with some claims dating back to the 1960s. The police said there could yet be further charges.
Teenage prisoners at the DC typically spent six to eight weeks at the Home Office-run facility before being released. These days such offending would be dealt with by community punishment. DCS Adrian Green said that the announcement, “Marks a significant step forward in what has been, and continues to be, a long and complex investigation. Enquiries do not stop here – the Operation Seabrook team and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) remain committed in continuing to move the investigation forward. In February this year, we submitted 32 files to the CPS for charging decisions. A number of people are still under investigation so we do not rule out further charges in the future
Max Hood says:
- prisons and homes are havens for paedophiles, where they operated with impunity and immunity. government officials are alleged to have been offered boys to satisfy their perverted lusts. I was sexually abused in council care in 1968, aged 12, by a master, I reported it at the time; logged in official documents, but I was called a liar by the headmaster, and he proceeded to cover it up, stating: ‘his staff would never do such a thing.’ As a consequence, I suffered undiagnosed PTSD for 50 yrs, ruining my life, not being able to understand what was wrong with me, accumulating a series of mental health conditions, all feeding off each other, a vicious and hellish circle, that has driven me to the edge of suicide many times. Because I was labelled a criminal, I was thrown on the scrapheap of life by the system – just as all the other boys sexually abused by official-paedophiles of the state. In council care, most paedophile masters had a boy in tow: it was a perk of the job to bugger boys.
” Chess player and ex-prisoner says
2.Will this current investigation charge and prosecute the managers, the manager’s managers and those in Prison HQ and the Ministers?
They were the ones that allowed this to happen under their watch.
And why 4 years before being taken to the Magistrates court? Any longer and some of the currently charged officers will die of old age denying justice to those prisoners abused. 1500 allegations!! This is a national scandal! What state is this country
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/free-the-remaining-ipp-prisoners
https://www.durham.police.uk/news-and-events/Pages/News%20Articles/Operation-Seabrook---Medomsely-Detention-Centre.aspxhttps://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/free-the-remaining-ipp-prisoners
National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children 08088005000
