Five former officers were convicted of abuse at Medomsley Detention Centre in County Durham following one of the UK’s biggest investigations of its kind.
Tilly Bailey & Irvine Law Firm’s Personal Injury specialists have been closely following the matter, and the Teesside solicitors have offered their support to victims.
They take up the story:
You may have recently heard that five men have now been convicted in relation to the abuse at Medomsley Detention Centre.
For those who aren’t familiar with the subject, Medomsley Detention Centre was a place that detained young offenders. However the inmates were dreadfully subjected to sexual, physical and mental abuse from detention officers.
The media have commented on the abuse that took place and it makes truly disturbing reading. One victim suffered three crushed vertebrae when he fell 20 foot from an obstacle course, after an officer threw rocks at him. Another victim described how he was thrown into a laundry basket which was strapped shut. He was tipped over and over a quarter of a mile to the shower block where the officers put a hose in the basket and he could feel himself drowning. When one inmate tried to report another officer for rape, he was physically assaulted.
It is not surprising that these young men felt they had no one to turn to for help.
Due to the courage of the victims in reporting the abuse, Durham Police launched an investigation, said to be the large investigation of its kind within the UK. That investigation has resulted in five detention officers being convicted for the abuse. They await sentencing.
The men were found guilty of a range of offences:
- Christopher Onslow – Convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm, wounding, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and misconduct in a public office.
- John McGee – Convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and misconduct in a public office.
- Kevin Blakely – Convicted of misconduct in a public office.
- Alan Bramley – Convicted of misconduct in public office.
- Brian Greenwell – Convicted of misconduct in public office.
Hopefully their convictions will mean even just a small bit of justice for the victims.
Victims can also make a claim for personal injury due to the abuse they suffered. We are currently acting for a number of former inmates who were abused at Medomsley Detention Centre. We have successfully obtained compensation for inmates who were sexually, physically and mentally abused whilst detained.
Tilly Bailey & Irvine solicitor Gemma Tunney added: “No amount of money will ever make up for what these men went through and how the abuse has affected their lives.
“However, the compensation obtained for these gentleman goes someway to acknowledging their horrendous ordeals. For many, there was a sense of fear of not being believed. However at TBI the victims were content, knowing that we were on their side.”