Peter Toole faced a vicious physical assault after being locked up for a petty offence at Medomsley, and said the apology to thousands who suffered abuse at the centre was 'too little too late'.
16:29, 12 Nov 2025
A man who suffered a vicious attack as soon as he set foot in a detention centre has described an apology from the prison service to thousands who suffered abuse as 'too little too late'.
Now 61, Peter Toole turned 21 in the centre after being locked up for a petty offence of handling stolen goods after giving two girls a lift who had been shoplifting.
Within seconds, a reception gatekeeper was banging his head against a wall. A PE instructor made him bunny hop in a gym, and he told him that he could not do it.
He told him: 'If you ever shout at me again, I will have you tied up, gagged and f***ing shagged' before banging his head against a wall once more. "
He spoke out after Prison Service Ombudsman Adrian Usher said "there was an imbalance of power which existed" at the unit as he unveiled a report into treatment of detainees today.
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) report looked into how "horrific" physical and sexual violence was allowed to continue against 17 to 21-year-olds at the Medomsley Detention Centre in Consett from 1961 to 1987.
Mr Usher said authorities also knew about sex fiend Neville Husband as he had a terrible reputation for abuse at Portland borstal before he arrived at the Co Durham centre where he served eight weeks of hell.
Minister for Youth Justice Jake Richards apologised to the victims and survivors subjected to shocking and systematic abuse. The Government today confirmed that £10m has been paid to victims of the scandal. There has been a total of 2,852 claims from former detainees.
But Peter of Newcastle, who was at the centre in June, 1985 to serve just nine weeks for handling stolen goods, a charge he still denies, said: "The apology now is too little too late and not from the people who carried out the abuse.
"I'm afraid it means nothing. I had the s*** kicked out of me many times. I was never sexually abused. But many were.
"The victims have been let down time and time again by all the authorities involved."
Countless victims tell of the same experience in the report - receiving vicious physical abuse as soon as the arrived at Medomsley.
Prison Service Ombudsman Adrian Usher revealed that the man identified as Britain's most prolific sex offender may have targeted not hundreds but thousands of victims during his 16 years at the centre, and 30 years working for the Prison Service. Neville Husband used his time at Medomsley to foster relations with staff who turned a blind eye to his abuse and the governors who left him to his own devices in the kitchens at the centre. Mr Usher told how one complaint of Husband having pornography resulted in an edict from above to 'stop searching in the kitchens' rather than any sanction against Husband.
Around 45,000-30,000 went through the centre from 1961 to 1987; the report found that many of the victims probably chose to remain silent rather than face the terrible trauma of speaking out.
"There was an imbalance of power which existed," said Mr Usher as he unveiled the report in Gateshead.
"It meant that Husband became the most prolific offender seen in Britain, you are probably talking about thousands of victims of his rather than hundreds. "He held a junior rank but had extraordinary power. He was a powerfully built man and manipulated and assaulted other members of staff.
"He also manipulated wardens. The kitchen area where he worked should have been searched but rarely was. "One the one occasion that it was and they found pornography in his possession, the response to that was dismal; the warden issued an instruction that the area should not be searched again. "The journey to the centre from the magistrates courts in Newcastle and Durham was barren moorland and the detainees would have felt cut off from family.
"So when Neville Husband told them that if they spoke out, they would disappear, they probably believed him."
There was also evidence of a paedophile ring, with detainees taken out of the centre to be abused by other adults on day trips.
Husband, a catering officer in the kitchens, consistently turned down offers of promotion. There was strong evidence in the report of him working alongside the late Leslie Johnston, a store manager Medomsley.
Johnston was also jailed for abusing detainees in 2005. Husband called him 'The Queen Mother' and staff members knew they were friends. Both men were reported by colleagues but nothing was done to prevent their abuse for decades.
Minister for Youth Justice Jake Richards apologised to the victims and survivors subjected to shocking and systematic abuse at Medomsley Detention Centre.
Speaking on behalf of the government, Minister Richards described the abuse as “a monstrous perversion of justice” and paid tribute to the courage of survivors and the tireless campaigning of MPs and families who have fought for justice over many years.
The apology followed Mr Usher's report into the physical, sexual and psychological abuse many children suffered at Medomsley in the North East of England from the early 1960s until its closure in the late 1980s. In a written statement to Parliament responding to the report, the Government also announced new measures to ensure such horrors are never allowed to happen again. A new Youth Custody Safeguarding Panel, led by an expert in child safeguarding, will review how children are protected in custody. The panel will examine areas such as complaints processes, staff training and ensure children’s voices are heard. 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.” The youth custodial estate today bears little resemblance to the one which the abuse at Medomsley took place, with children no longer detained for less serious offences and the number of children in custody has fallen significantly in the last 20 years. However, the government is determined that those who do require custody receive the best care and support they need to turn their lives around. The Youth Custody Safeguarding Panel will report directly to Ministers and will look closely at how professionals work with young people in custody.
This includes how children can speak up if something is wrong and how safety measures are working.