UK Minister Names Class Prejudice as Root of Medomsley Abuse Cover-Up

Sentencing and Youth Justice Minister Jake Richards attributed the decades-long institutional indifference to Medomsley Detention Centre abuse to class prejudice. Working-class boys detained in County Durham between 1961 and 1987 were seen as "bad" and undeserving of protection, he told The Guardian in July 2026. A six-year police investigation identified over 2,000 victims abused by officer Neville Husband across three decades. Richards announced implementation of a government safeguarding review's 34 recommendations, including mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse by professionals.