Abuse inquiry in plea to detention centre staff

Medomsley detention centre behind a locked gate
Thousands of young people were abused at Medomsley Detention Centre [BBC]

Investigators looking into historical abuse at a detention centre have renewed their appeal for staff to come forward.

Thousands of young boys were physically and sexually assaulted at Medomsley Detention Centre in County Durham between 1961 and 1987.

Operation Deerness - a new inquiry into the abuse - is progressing positively, a spokeswoman said.

"But we know there are more people who could come forward, in particular staff that worked at Medomsley," she added, urging anyone with information to contact the team.

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) was commissioned to carry out the independent investigation by the justice secretary.

'Looking for the truth'

Operation Deerness is looking into what authorities knew about "large scale abuses" being carried out at the notorious young offender facility.

Investigators made an impassioned plea to victims, detainees and staff during a press conference in February.

"We are looking for the truth and it is our goal to fully understand what took place," senior investigator Richard Tucker said at the time.

Adrian Usher, from the PPO, added: "We strongly believe there are people who worked there who knew, or suspected, something very wrong was going on."

They urged those wrestling with their conscience to speak out.

A spokeswoman for the inquiry told the BBC that the initial response to the press conference had been positive and that interviews had taken place as a result.

"We were pleased by the impact it had," she said.

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