44. Stanhope Castle, in County Durham, was set up in 1941 as an approved school under the control of the Home Office. In 1973, following the abolition of approved schools, it became a community home and was transferred to Teesside County Borough Council. When Teesside County Borough Council was abolished in 1974, responsibility for the school transferred to Cleveland County Council. The school closed in 1981. When Cleveland County Council was abolished in 1996, its liabilities – including in respect of Stanhope Castle – were transferred to four unitary authorities[1] and administered by one of those authorities, Middlesbrough Council.[2]
45. Victims and survivors told us about the sexual abuse they suffered at the hands of teachers, staff and other pupils, which included forced masturbation, oral sex and anal rape.
45.1. AR-A5 was forced to perform oral sex and was anally raped.[3]
45.2. James (Thomas) Harding was watched whilst naked in the shower and whipped on his bare bottom.[4]
45.3. Peter Smith was repeatedly sexually abused by numerous older students over a period of six years. He was forced to masturbate them, perform oral sex and was subjected to attempted anal rape.[5]
45.4. AR-A96 was repeatedly forced to perform oral sex and masturbate two teachers.[6]
46. The sexual abuse was accompanied by physical abuse and brutality. Colin Watson said that the daily physical abuse and the threat of violent abuse was used to make him compliant and to remain silent about sexual abuse.[7]
47. Several witnesses told us that they received beatings after reporting the abuse to members of staff and social workers.
47.1. AR-A25 was forced to masturbate AR-F17, a member of staff, when he was 12 to 14 years old. He reported this to the matron of the school. He believes that the matron told AR-F17, as he then received a “savage beating” from AR-F17, who said that he had been spreading lies. The sexual abuse then ended, but the physical abuse continued.[8]
47.2. AR-A34, who was physically and sexually abused, said that the day after he told his social worker about the brutality at Stanhope Castle, he “had his first smashed-in skull”.[9]
48. Victims and survivors had difficulties disclosing the abuse for many years. After his first disclosure to his social worker, AR-A34 said that he “couldn’t tell anybody” and he kept it a secret for “years and years”.[10] AR-A25 said that he suppressed his experiences, although they were always at the back of his mind.[11]
49. The Inquiry heard the extent to which the abuse has had an impact on the lives of victims and survivors. They spoke of a lost education which, as AR-A34 put it, “affected my chances in life”.[12]
49.1. AR-A25 said “I was a very damaged person when I left Stanhope. I spent the next 20 years in and out of detention centres and prisons, mainly for assaults”.[13]
49.2. Peter Robson said the abuse happened “56 years ago. And I’m still suffering and I’m still trying to cope with it now”.[14]
49.3. AR-A5 said the “abuse I suffered as a little boy at Stanhope Castle has blighted my whole life”.[15]
49.4. Mark Gray said “I have struggled with depression all my life”.[16]
50. On behalf of Middlesbrough Council, James Bromiley, Strategic Director for Finance, Governance and Support Services, began his evidence to the Inquiry by expressing the “deepest sympathy and apologies for any abuse that took place at Stanhope Castle”.[17] However, at the end of his evidence, he said he was unable to answer whether or not sexual abuse had taken place, stating that “as I said at the very start, if sexual abuse did occur, then I have a huge sympathy for that”.[18]
51. Unlike the other case studies, there have been no prosecutions arising out of the physical or sexual abuse at Stanhope Castle.[19]
52. In 1999, a report of child sexual abuse was made to Durham Constabulary but, as they accepted in their evidence, it was not properly investigated.[20] In 2013, Operation Midday was set up and, by the end of 2016, Durham Constabulary had received allegations in respect of 14 victims and survivors. Many of these allegations were passed to the police by Watson Woodhouse Solicitors, who were representing the victims and survivors in a number of civil claims. The total number of victims eventually rose to 28, in respect of which there were 59 offences recorded, of which 31 were sexual. The Inquiry understands that the investigations are continuing.[21]
53. At the time of the public hearings, 33 civil claims had been brought against Middlesbrough Council for physical and sexual abuse suffered at Stanhope Castle.[22]
54. The majority of the claims proceeded in two tranches. The first tranche was brought in the early 2000s and focused on physical abuse only.[23] Those claims were insured and handled by Municipal Mutual Insurance (MMI)[24] and were eventually settled for modest sums in 2010.[25] The second tranche included claims for sexual abuse in addition to physical abuse. The sexual abuse claims commenced in around 2014 and included uninsured claims and MMI-insured claims, with the latter handled by Zurich.[26] Those claims never progressed beyond the stage of pre-action correspondence, primarily due to a lack of corroborating evidence (including criminal convictions) and difficulties in respect of limitation.[27]