Report into abuse at Medomsley Detention Centre finds wardens were either complicit or incompetent
A report has been released into the notorious youth prison in County Durham, which operated from 1961 to 1987
Last updated 12th Nov 2025
A new report into the Medomsley Detention Centre in County Durham, has concluded the wardens there were either complicit in the physical and sexual abuse of young inmates, or they were incompetent.
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman Adrian Usher has lead an official inquiry into the conduct of the staff at the youth prison, resulting in a 202 page report.
The inquiry spoke to 79 victims and witnesses.
More than 2,000 former inmates came forward to give their testimony to Operation Seabrook, a police investigation which led to five retired officers being convicted of abuse in 2019.
Part of the inquiry focused on officer Neville Husband who was described by Ombudsman Adrian Usher "as possibly the most prolific sex offender in British history".
Powerfully-built Husband was thought to have groomed and attacked hundreds of trainees in Medomsley's kitchens.
Husband was convicted of sexual assault and was jailed in 2003 and again in 2005. He died in 2010.
Mr Usher stated: "The illegitimate power imbalance that existed between Husband and the trainees and other staff further flourished within a culture of collusion and silence from other employees.
"Husband used this power with devastating effect."
The report also found that staff were left to decide how the centre operated as its objectives were not clearly set out.
The ethos of the "short, sharp shock" for men aged 17-21, who had been convicted of relatively minor crimes, was in place to deter them from re-offending, and the experience was meant to be unpleasant.
Mr Usher said: "Such an environment meant that some staff believed, whatever the rule book said, that they could best achieve their aims with violence as a training method."
The scale of the abuse meant its leaders, known as wardens until the term changed to governor in the 1980s, were aware of it and therefore "complicit", or "they lacked dedication and professional curiosity to such an extent as to not be professionally competent", the ombudsman said.
He added: "Ultimately, they had the power and authority to take action and prevent the abuse of hundreds, if not thousands, of victims had they diligently and proactively discharged the duties of their office.
"Sadly for the lives of those victims, there is no evidence that they did so."
The PPO found that trainees were physically abused from the moment they arrived, when they bathed, were strip searched, during physical education, whilst working and even during medical examinations.
Witnesses told the inquiry victims were targeted for being perceived as gay or weak, while inmates who failed to address staff as "Sir" would be punched, and baths were either scalding hot or freezing cold.
Cruelty was evident in Medomsley's medical centre until the 1970s, the report stated, with a number of witnesses saying if they were ill, painkillers could be taped to their forehead and they would be told to run around until the pill had dissolved.
Mr Usher found that oversight of the centre by external bodies was poor and if family members made complaints about their loved ones' treatment, nothing happened.
He said: "The abuse at Medomsley continued, unchallenged, for the entire 26 years of its operation.
"The knowledge of abuse by the Prison Service, the police, the Home Office and other organisations of authority was ignored and dismissed.
"Sending these young men to Medomsley was supposed to instil them with more ordered, law-abiding lives.
"The authorities failed in their duty to keep detainees safe."
Addressing them, he said:
"The effects of the trauma they suffered effectively became a life sentence... with devastating consequences.
"However, it is my fervent hope that, for many victims, what this report represents is a victory for your tenacity, determination and courage.
"You may have had to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles over the last 40 years and more but, in the end, you were heard, and you were believed."
Today, Durham Constabulary, and the Government have issued apologies for what happened,
Minister for Youth Justice, Jake Richards said:
“To the men who suffered such horrific abuse at Medomsley, I want to say again - I am truly sorry. The failings set out in today’s report by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman are truly harrowing, and we must ensure nothing like this ever happens again.
“This Government is establishing a Youth Custody Safeguarding Panel to review how we protect children in custody today. It will ensure their voices are heard, that complaints are taken seriously, and that every child is kept safe from harm.”