KENDALL HOUSE CARE HOME IN GRAVESEND LINKED TO DRUGGING GIRLS AND BIRTH DEFECTS

In the town of Gravesend, Kent, a disturbing chapter from the past has come under scrutiny involving the Church of England's care home, Kendall House. During the 1970s and 1980s, numerous teenage girls residing at this facility were reportedly subjected to a regime of heavy sedation and experimental drug treatments. Recent revelations suggest that these young women, many of whom had no diagnosed mental health issues, were administered a cocktail of potent medications, including tranquilizers, anti-depressants, and drugs prescribed for severe neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia.

One of the most compelling cases is that of Teresa Cooper, now 41, who is actively petitioning the UK government for a formal inquiry into the practices at Kendall House. She alleges that during her 32 months at the home, she was medicated at least 1,248 times, receiving multiple doses of three major tranquilizers and anti-depressants, including up to ten times the recommended amount of Valium. Despite her extensive medication, records confirm she did not suffer from any mental health conditions. Miss Cooper claims that she and other girls were restrained physically and subjected to forced treatments, including chemotherapy, despite lacking any cancer diagnosis.

Further investigations have uncovered that at least ten women who lived at Kendall House later gave birth to children with various health issues. These children reportedly suffered from a range of congenital and developmental problems, such as hydrocephalus, heart and joint abnormalities, neurofibromatosis—a condition characterized by small tumors on nerve endings—and learning difficulties like dyslexia. Some of these children were born with birth defects that could be linked to the drugs their mothers were administered during their time at the care home.

Evidence suggests that the drugs may have been part of an experimental protocol conducted by Dr. Marenthiran Perinpanayagam, a physician who, in 1977, wrote about his experiments involving tranquilizers on girls in a medical journal. The specific location of these experiments was not disclosed, and Dr. Perinpanayagam passed away in 1988. Experts, including Professor Jeffrey Aronson of Oxford University, have expressed concern over the unusual and potentially harmful practices. He pointed out that giving large doses of psychoactive drugs to young girls with no psychiatric history was highly irregular and warned that such drugs could induce genetic and chromosomal changes, possibly leading to birth defects or health issues later in life.

Childcare specialists from Ofsted have indicated that hundreds of children in the UK care system during that era may have been subjected to similar drug treatments, exposing them to significant health risks. A BBC investigation identified six other children’s homes where drugs were used in this manner. Mike Lindsay, a senior adviser at Ofsted’s children’s rights division, commented that at the time, the use of medication to control children’s behavior was considered acceptable within the professional standards of that period.

In response to these revelations, the Church of England, through a statement issued on behalf of the Diocese of Rochester, stated that it could not comment on individual cases but expressed willingness to cooperate fully should an official investigation be initiated. The emerging evidence continues to raise serious questions about the treatment of vulnerable young girls at Kendall House and the long-term health consequences faced by their children, prompting calls for justice and accountability for the actions taken decades ago.