A FORMER inmate of a North-East youth detention centre who suffered brutal abuse at the hands of guards in the 1980s is urging others to come forward and expose what happened.

The 50-year-old, from County Durham, who has not spoken to anyone about his ordeal and wants to remain anonymous, spoke out as Cleveland Police revealed 19 more victims had come forward in the last week alone - bringing the total number to 268.

Police also said a 61-year-old man arrested earlier this year on suspicion of assault was still under investigation, as part of its inquiry into historical abuse at the prison.

Last night the 50-year-old victim, who served time in Kirklevington for burglary aged 14, in or around 1981, spoke of one guard who beat him as soon as he arrived, stripped him naked, grabbed his testicles and threw him into a cell naked for three days.

He said: “Durham Prison was like a holiday camp compared to Kirklevington.

“I started self-harming in there because it was so bad. None of us dared tell anyone what was happening - the guards stood over us when our family visited.

“You weren’t allowed to go to the toilet in the night so boys used to wet the bed. Those that did get up to go to the toilet were led away but none of us ever knew where. People had their suspicions.

“As soon as I arrived I was punched in the stomach. People were always being punched, smacked in the face. We were always hungry and I used to steal food from the kitchens and share it out.

“The guards were just animals. It was absolutely brutal. I have forgotten a lot of it, blocked it out, but it makes me shake just thinking about that time. I started self-harming when I was in there and attempted suicide. There were a lot of attempted suicides.”

Police are investigating allegations of physical and sexual abuse at the one-time youth detention centre spanning four decades.

Police said yesterday that information they issued last week, that two men arrested in connection with the investigation into historical abuse at the prison had been released without charge, was incorrect.

Only one was released and another male, aged 61 who had been arrested on suspicion of assault, remains on police bail pending further investigations.