More than 350 ex-inmates of Teesside prison claim they suffered serious abuse

Cleveland Police is investigating historic allegations ranging from the 1960s to the 1990s when Kirklevington operated as a mixed remand centre

 Kirklevington Grange prison

More than 350 former inmates of a Teesside prison have now come forward claiming they suffered serious abuse there as teenagers.

Cleveland Police is investigating historic allegations ranging from the 1960s to the 1990s when Kirklevington operated as a mixed remand centre.

In February last year, The Gazette reported how the force was investigating allegations from more than 70 former inmates at HMP Kirklevington, near Yarm .

Following media reports of the probe that figure has continued to rise and now stands at 355 people who have contacted Cleveland Police saying they were physically abused.

Cleveland Police have confirmed that two men, aged 62 and 71, who were arrested in connection with the inquiry, had been released without charge.

One former prisoner David Ginelly, who was transferred to Kirklevington as a teenager in the 1970s from Tong Park near Bradford, went on television to talk about his alleged experiences of abuse.

He told BBC’s Inside Out programme 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”.

“I have never been a saint and I don’t doubt that what I have done deserved punishment - but not brutality, not to that extent, not at 14 years old,” he said.

Five police forces across the north are investigating historic allegations of abuse at least 11 different institutions which house troubled teenagers, including Kirklevington.

Molly Frost, from Jordans solicitors in West Yorkshire, is representing many of the claimants and said she understands why growing numbers of former inmates are willing to speak out.

“Once a person sees that other people are talking about abuse they feel empowered themselves to do the same,” she said.

James Wharton , Conservative MP for Stockton South, has backed the police probe.

Kirklevington Grange prison

“If there is evidence of wrongdoing then the police should take action, crimes of this nature leave long-lasting scars and damage and cannot be allowed to go unpunished,” he said previously.

“Any evidence must be robust and any resulting investigation appropriate, but if there was abuse then those who perpetrated it need to be brought to justice.”

The Ministry of Justice has also urged anyone with evidence of abuse to “bring it to the attention of the appropriate authorities so it can be examined as a matter of serious concern”.

A Cleveland Police spokeswomen said: “This is a complex and extensive investigation, throughout which a high number of victims have come forward and continue to do so.

“We are supporting these victims and putting them in touch with relevant agencies where necessary.

“It is very much an active investigation and our enquiries are still ongoing.”

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HMP Kirklevington abuse inquiry: More than 350 ex-inmates claim abuse

Former inmate Andrew Drabarek said he was regularly beaten 

More than 350 ex-inmates at a detention centre have come forward to say they were abused, police have said.

Most of the men - formerly teenagers at HMP Kirklevington, near Yarm - have alleged they were physically abused and some sexually assaulted.

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

Police said two men, aged 62 and 71, arrested in connection with the inquiry had been released without charge.

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

A spokesman for the Cleveland force said the investigation, which began in 2016, was "complex and extensive".

He said help and support was being offered to those who had come forward.

One of the complainants, Andrew Drabarek, who was an inmate as a teenager, said he was regularly beaten.

He said: "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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Sex attacks in Teesside prison on the rise - but no convictions

Figures obtained by the Gazette suggest a year-on-year increase of sex attacks at Holme House since 2012 - but no convictions

 

Holme House Prison in Stockton

Sex attacks at a Teesside prison are on the rise but perpetrators are not being brought to justice, figures suggest.

Although the number of sexual assaults reported by inmates at Stockton’s Holme House Prison has increased year-on-year since 2012, not a single criminal conviction has been secured.

In 2015, there were seven reported assaults at Holme House Prison, compared to five in 2014 and just two the previous year.

There were none reported at Kirklevington Grange between 2011 and 2015.

But a prisons charity believes the real figures are much higher.

The Gazette made a Freedom of Information request to the Ministry of Justice following a shocking case of a prisoner who raped a fellow inmate.

Graham Lindo who raped a fellow inmate at HMP Nortumberland

Stockton drug dealer Graham Lindo lured the vulnerable victim into his cell at HMP Northumberland, locked the door and pulled out a homemade weapon, fashioned from a toothbrush and razor blade. The 27-year-old then threatened to cut man’s throat before raping him.

After pleading guilty to the March 2016 rape, he was jailed for six years and ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for life.

The Gazette asked for data relating to the number of reported prisoner-on-prisoner sexual assaults at Holme House and Kirklevington Grange prisons since 2011 and the number of resulting convictions.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said: “Any assault incident reported as a sexual assault is classified as a serious assault and will be reported to the police.

“There a range of sanctions available to deal with the perpetrators of violence, which may be used incrementally or in combination, depending on the seriousness of the incident and/or the wishes of the victim.

 Holme House Prison

“This may include action through the internal discipline system or referral to the Independent Adjudicator for serious charges which may result in additional days added to a prisoner’s time in custody.

“If referred to the police, the perpetrator may receive a custodial sentence.”

He said determination of whether an assault should be classified as sexual is guided by the wishes of the victim.

Some will be unproven allegations, he added.

Campaigners argue there is an urgent need to determine the nature and scale of sexual abuse in prisons in England and Wales.

National figures show reported sex assaults in prison rose from 113 in 2012 to 300 in 2015

 Kirklevington Grange, Yarm

 In 2014, the Commission on Sex in Prison set up by the Howard League for Penal Reform, said evidence from prison inspectors suggests 1% of prisoners are sexually abused by other inmates or staff.

The charity found that much sexual violence goes under-reported, so the nature and full extent of the problem is not known.

In response to the figures for Teesside, Andrew Neilson, director of campaigns at the charity, said: “While there have been only a few sexual assaults reported in Holme House prison, if it is true that there have been no convictions directly related to these assaults, that is very concerning.

“We have seen a big increase in violence in our overcrowded prison system. We fear that sexual assaults most likely remain under-reported and could be contributing to this.”

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