UK police arrest officers in pedophile probe
UK police have arrested two former officers on suspicion of physical and sexual assaults at a children’s prison in Consett, County Durham, North-East England.
The 69 and 58 year-old men were arrested as part of a long-running investigation in to historic sex abuse at the Medomsley Detention Centre.
The horrific abuse stretches back to the 1970’s and 80’s and victims have had decades long struggles for justice.
Teenage victims have spoken of being raped on and off the prison premises, sometimes being taken to other locations by police officers to be raped by other men.
One victim, Kevin Young says then police officer, Neville Husband would take him to his house, tie him up, blind fold him and then three men would rape him. It was sustained abuse that continued for the next two months. Kevin had been convicted of receiving stolen property; a watch his brother had given him as a present.
On the day of his release, on the 17th June 1977, Young went to Consett Police Station to report what had happened. He was told it was a criminal offence to make such allegations against an officer.
It wasn't until 26 years later, in 2003 that Neville Husband was brought to justice. By then a church minister, he was jailed for eight years; a sentence that was increased in 2005 after new victims came forward.
Husband died in September 2010 shortly after being released from prison. He had raped boys on a daily basis for more than 15 years, while other staff allegedly turned a blind eye.
The media attention on the case led police to launch Operation Seabrook in 2013. Police now say that 1,123 men have contacted them to report they were victims of either sexual or physical assault while imprisoned at Medomsley.
In an explosive development, last year, police revealed there was growing evidence to suggest an organised paedophile ring was operating at the prison.
The latest arrests are in connection to the Operation Seabrook investigation. 16 former employees had been identified by police for questioning. 14 voluntarily attended, but the two in question were arrested.
The two men have now been released on bail. Police say they will be questioning at least a dozen more former employees of the prison.
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