248 ex-inmates allege abuse at North East detention centre

HMP Kirklevington Grange

Mark Thompson

mark.thompson@jpress.co.uk

14:01Wednesday 03 August 2016

Almost 250 former detention centre inmates have come forward to make allegations of historic abuse at the hands of staff.

Cleveland Police confirmed the investigation into events in the 1970s, 80s and 90s at what was Kirklevington detention centre near Yarm is continuing.

 

Earlier this year it said two men aged 70 and 61 had been arrested, the older man on suspicion of rape. They were released without charge.

The force said Operation Magnolia has now heard from 248 complainants.

Kirklevington housed boys aged 14 to 17 who had been sentenced to between three weeks and four months detention. These days they would be likely to receive sentences in the community.

Former inmates have told of a regime of immediate violence by staff upon arrival, cold baths and beatings.

One of them, David Ginnelly, told the BBC Inside Out programme earlier this year: "I don't doubt that what I did deserved punishment, but not brutality, not to that extent, not at 14 years old."

Solicitor David Greenwood, who represents a number of complainants, said: "The men I am helping complain of serious assaults from staff at Kirklevington.

"Most of these assaults were physical in nature but a small number were sexual assaults.

"The investigation by Cleveland Police is welcomed and will hopefully shed light on the brutal treatment meted out to young offenders."

Durham Police are carrying out the country's biggest investigation into historic sexual abuse, at the now-closed Medomsley Detention Centre, near Consett.

So far 1,254 people have told detectives they suffered physical or sexual abuse there.

Kirklevington is now a prison for adults.

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Police probe 250 allegations of abuse at Kirklevington detention centre over 40 years

Kirklevington Prison near Yarm, pictured in 1998 after it became a resettlement prison

5 hrs ago / Julia Breen / @juliabreenEcho
 

ALMOST 250 former inmates of one-time youth detention centre HMP Kirklevington Grange have come forward with allegations of abuse spanning four decades, police confirmed last night.

And The Northern Echo understands that a file has been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service to consider whether any charges can be brought.

Kirklevington, once a youth detention centre, now a resettlement prison on the outskirts of Yarm, is the subject of an inquiry by Cleveland Police which has seen two men, aged 70 and 61, arrested earlier this year and released without charge.

The 70-year-old was arrested on suspicion of rape and the other man on suspicion of misconduct.
Police say the inquiry - Operation Magnolia - is ongoing and revealed it is now investigating allegations from 248 former prisoners.

There have been claims of physical and sexual abuse - including one man, who didn't wish to make an official complaint, who said guards pulled the gromits out of his ear with a hook on a needle.

"I remember my ears and head being in agony," he said.

"I was wondering why the media were mentioning Medomsley all the time when Kirklevington was far more feared."

He also claimed inmates were encouraged to hit each other in the gym, his brother had his eardrum perforated and that he developed long-term health problems including asthma and an irregular heartbeat while inside.

Durham Police are still taking part in the country's biggest investigation into historic sex abuse at the former Medomsley Detention Centre, near Consett. Officers have spoken to 30 former members of staff and 1,254 victims have come forward to tell how they were physically or sexually abused in the 60s, 70s and 80s.

Another former Kirklevington inmate claimed: "I was subjected to continuous physical abuse throughout my eight weeks and three days at this hell hole called Kirklevington Grange detention centre in 1979.

"It affected my life so much at 14 years of age that from that moment I have never trusted anyone in a position of authority and have held utter contempt for authority."

Kirklevington was a detention centre operated by the Home Office – now the Ministry of Justice – which housed boys aged 14-17 sentenced to between three weeks and four months' detention.

Another victim, David Ginelly, told BBC's Inside Out programme earlier this year: "All aspects of the daily routine was physical violence, serious assaults from 6am in morning until 7pm at night you were assaulted, you were kicked, you were punched.

“It just never stopped, not even at 7pm when you went to bed.”

Another complainant, Andrew Brabarek, said he was punched so hard he went blind for three days.

He told BBC Tees: "You accept punishment but not like that, being beaten by a grown man when you are a teenager is something else."

Kirklevington changed to an adult male resettlement prison in 1992.

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Judge urges jury to be "dispassionate" considering verdicts in trial of ex-churchman accused of historic sexual abuse

ADVICE: Jury urged to be "dispassionate" considering verdicts in case of ex-Archdeacon of Auckland

A JURY has been urged to be dispassionate in considering its verdicts in the case of a former senior clergyman accused of historic sexual abuse charges.

Judge Christopher Prince was addressing jurors who are expected to retire tomorrow (Wednesday August 3) to begin their deliberations over the seven charges facing the ex-Archdeacon of Auckland, Granville Gibson, stemming from the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The allegations relate to separate complaints made by two male teenagers and a novice churchman, in his mid-20s at the time, arising from Mr Gibson’s eight-year incumbency as minister at St Clare’s Church in Newton Aycliffe.

Eighty-year-old Mr Gibson, now living in retirement in Darlington, denies six counts of indecent assault and one further serious sexual offence.

Summing up the evidence and law in the case, on the seventh day of the trial at Durham Crown Court, Judge Prince told the jury panel: “You must put any emotive reaction to these (allegations) aside and bring a dispassionate, rational consideration of the evidence to bear.”

He advised the jurors to give consideration to all seven charges individually and treat each of the three complainants’ cases separately.

“You must consider the evidence for and against the defendant separately in relation to each count.

“You may find him ‘guilty’ on all counts or ‘not guilty’ on all counts, or ‘guilty’ on some and ‘not guilty’ on others.

“You are dealing with three completely separate trials for no other reason than the law allows you to do so, as a matter of convenience and a matter of cost, saving us having to duplicate a lot of the evidence which would have taken significantly longer than the seven days we have been here so far.”

Judge Prince told jurors that they were dealing with events from as far back as 39 years, in relation to some of the charges, and he said they should not have any “pre-conceived notions” over historic allegations.

He said due to the, “significant passage of time”, some potentially useful material and witnesses are no longer available, including two former bishops whose poor health has prevented either being able to give evidence in the case.

The judge reminded the jury of the evidence heard in the case relating to the first two complainants, the two male teenagers allegedly abused by Mr Gibson.

But he will resume his summing up tomorrow (Wednesday August 3) by referring to the evidence heard in the case involving the third complainant, the young churchman at the time, before sending the jury out to begin their deliberations and consider their verdicts.

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Two men arrested in HMP Kirklevington abuse investigations will not face charges

• 10:43, 2 Aug 2016
• Updated 10:44, 2 Aug 2016
• By David Huntley

The horrific allegations span from the 1960s up until the 1990s at the former remand centre in Yarm

  HMP Kirklevington Grange

Two men arrested as part of investigations into horrific abuse at a former detention centre will not face charges.

248 former inmates of HMP Kirklevington in Yarm have made allegations of being seriously assaulted and abused at the former mixed remand centre as teenagers.

The allegations span from the 1960s up until the 1990s and two men were arrested as part of the investigations.

However, both men have since been released without charge.

A Cleveland Police spokesperson said: “A 70-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of rape and a 61-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of misconduct have both been released without charge.”

They added that inquiries were still ongoing into the abuse claims.

One former inmate who claims to have suffered abuse at the hands of the guards is David Ginelly,
who was transferred to Kirklevington as a teenager in the 1970s from Tong Park near Bradford.

David Ginelly was transferred to Kirklevington as a teenager in the 1970s 

He told BBC’s Inside Out programme in February that when he arrived at the centre at the age of 14 he “was dragged out of the van by my hair, thrown up the wall, thrown into a cold bath, smashed against the wall and told I must memorise all these rules.” 

He added: “All aspects of the daily routine was physical violence, serious assaults from 6am in morning until 7pm at night you were assaulted, you were kicked, you were punched.
“It just never stopped, not even at 7pm when you went to bed.”

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Two arrests made in HMP Kirklevington abuse inquiry

 Kirklevington was converted into a resettlement prison for adult male offenders in 1992

Two men have been arrested as part of an inquiry into alleged abuse at a former detention centre.

Almost 250 men have come forward to complain about physical and sexual abuse at HMP Kirklevington near Yarm.

They claim the abuse took place between the 1960s and 1990s when the prison was a mixed remand centre.

Cleveland Police said one man aged 70 has been arrested on suspicion of rape while a 61-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of misconduct.

Both have been released on bail and officers are continuing to investigate the allegations, the force said.

One of the complainants, Andrew Drabarek, told BBC Tees: "The minute you walked through the gate to the minute you left it was just abuse.

"I got punched, I went blind for three days. I was punched at the dining room table because I was the last one to leave.

"You accept punishment but not like that, being beaten by a grown man when you are a teenager is something else."

The Ministry of Justice has urged anyone with allegations to report them to police.
Kirklevington was converted to a resettlement prison for adult male offenders in 1992

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