Durham Constabulary apologises for historic failure to investigate decades of horrifying abuse

The centre, which was designed to hold offenders aged between 17 and 21, was in operation from 1961 to 1987, and the offences for which the young men were sentenced ranged from shoplifting and non-payment of fines to robbery.

The apology comes as the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman published a report detailing physical and sexual abuse at Medomsley spanning from the 1960s to 1980s and the institutional failings which contributed to it.

In October 2023 the then Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Alex Chalk, commissioned the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) to undertake an independent investigation into the abuse of inmates at Medomsley Detention Centre.

The report, which was published today (November 12), revealed a “systemic culture of physical abuse” at the centre which became embedded as a practice of ‘short, sharp, shock,”.

As well as detailing the physical and sexual abuse at Medomsley the report also highlighted the institutional failings, including the Police Force, which contributed to it.

Following the publication of today’s report, Durham Constabulary’s Chief Constable Rachel Bacon said: “On behalf of Durham Constabulary I wish to publicly offer my sincerest apologies to those victims and their families for those failures.

“This report makes for extremely difficult reading. It exposes shameful failings by police at that time: both to recognise that the physical violence meted out by staff at Medomsley amounted to abuse or to adequately investigate allegations by those victims who did have the bravery to come forward and report what happened to them.

“Thousands of young men were let down by the system and are continuing to live with the wounds left by that abuse. Those victims were, and remain, our primary concern.”

The horrific physical and sexual abuse which took place at Medomsley was subject to a six-year investigation, the biggest in Durham Constabulary’s history.

Officers worked closely with the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman report team to fully disclose the evidence uncovered during the three successive police investigations into Medomsley.

From 2001 onwards, two police investigations took place under the umbrella Operation Halter, and led to the conviction of Medomsley chef Neville Husband, who was ultimately sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for 15 sexual offences against inmates.

Those investigations ultimately led to the launch in 2013 of Operation Seabrook, the largest and most detailed police enquiry into institutional abuse in UK history.

More than 2,000 victims came forward to Operation Seabrook and 20,000 items of material were thoroughly examined over six years, with a team of 70 detectives on the investigation at its height.

Despite the difficulties posed by the historic nature of the witness evidence, nine former members of staff at Medomsley Detention Centre were charged with offences and brought before the courts. Five people were eventually convicted for their part in that abuse. One defendant was ruled not fit to stand trial and another died while awaiting court proceedings.

Chief Constable Bacon added: “All authorities should take time to consider this report and truly reflect on the horrifying failings which it has exposed.

“I am satisfied that policing standards at Durham Constabulary are worlds apart from those which sadly appear to have existed at that time.

“Modern policing practices, along with robust statutory safeguarding measures to protect vulnerable people and tighter scrutiny around standards, have transformed our approach to investigations and victim care.

“While nothing can begin to mitigate the scale of suffering inflicted on those young men over so long a period, Durham Constabulary hopes that those investigations are evidence of our commitment to achieve justice for victims, no matter how much time may have elapsed.”

Anyone who would like to come forward with new information about abuse at Medomsley Detention Centre can contact Durham Constabulary via their report it page.