'EVIL' PRISON GUARD WHO 'ATTACKED' BOYS AT KIRKLEVINGTON EXPOSED
A “barbaric” prison officer who “attacked” hundreds of terrified boys at a “torture camp” detention centre can today be exposed by The Northern Echo for the first time.“Sadistic” Douglas Harrison handed out “daily brutality” to boys as young as 14 at the former Kirklevington Detention Centre, in Yarm, between the 1960s and 1990s.
It can be revealed a staggering 273 men reported the “evil” 74-year-old, who died in 2019, to police - but the total number could exceed 400.
The institution - now HMP Kirklevington - is now the centre of an abuse scandal after police were swamped with almost 1,000 complaints of historic abuse.
Victims who had their childhood “ripped away” have been fighting for justice for decades - but despite Cleveland Police’s Operation Magnolia marking its 12-year anniversary, not one abuser has been dragged before the courts to answer for their actions.
Today, The Northern Echo can exclusively reveal that Harrison was set to be charged by police with misconduct in a public office and numerous assaults - but died in 2019 just days before.
After months of investigation work by the Echo, Cleveland Police has now taken the almost unprecedented step of naming Harrison as a suspect, saying he was due to be charged with offences relating to 18 victims.
Those who allegedly suffered abuse at the hands of Harrison would “pray for his day off” - with one claiming he left him with a black eye, made him scrub floors with soap he was allergic to, and would get “double the abuse” if he dared to tell his parents.
Another said Harrison “smashed his knee with a kitchen paddle" so severely that he was hospitalised and left with a limp for the rest of his life.
Decades later, the boys - some of whom would cry themselves to sleep, blinded by fear of officer attacks - have still not been able to get justice.
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Chatterton, said the force understands the length of the investigation is both “upsetting and frustrating” and remains “fully committed to listening to victims and survivors”.
Harrison, who was from Stanley but lived in Eaglescliffe, died on September 22, 2019 at the University Hospital of North Tees following a long illness.
Police have confirmed that 938 victims have come forward in the probe - 120 of which were in the last 14 months - and have interviewed at least 12 suspects.
Victims described Harrison as a “scum bag” - with one even saying: “If there's a heaven and a hell this b****** will be in the latter.”
