A North-East church minister appeared in court yesterday accused of systematically abusing boys when he was a prison officer.

One alleged victim, who was 15 at the time, said that when he pleaded with his tormentor to stop the repeated sex attacks, he was warned he could be found hanging in his cell.

The man, who is now 44, was giving evidence at Newcastle Crown Court against 65-year-old Neville Husband.

Mr Husband is alleged to have used his position in the kitchens at Medomsley Detention Centre in Consett, County Durham, to carry out sex attacks on a number of boys in his care during the 1970s and 1980s.

He is now a minister in the United Reformed Church, responsible for two churches in Gateshead.

Mr Husband, of Snows Green Road, Shotley Bridge, County Durham, is charged with 15 counts of indecent assault and one of buggery. He denies all the charges.

The first of six alleged victims to give evidence told the court he had been sent to Medomsley in 1974 for handling stolen goods. There, Mr Husband picked him out to work for him in the kitchen.

The man, whose brother is also alleging abuse, said: "I became concerned within days, when we were instructed by Senior Officer Husband not to wear underwear under our chef's whites, which were nothing more than a loose fitting cotton top and bottom.

"At first I thought it was a joke but the joke rapidly turned sour for me. I was systematically abused for the next three months."

The man said that on some occasions he was separated from fellow inmates and taken into a storeroom where he was sometimes tied to shelving and abused and forced to commit sex acts.

He claimed further, that Mr Husband had broken prison regulations to take him to his nearby home.

There, he said he was forced to undress before being tied up, blindfolded, photographed in compromising positions and abused.

The man, who now runs his own business, said: "I pleaded with him to stop and became aggressive with him.

"But I was told I could be found hanging in my cell. It was a threat he used on a number of occasions. That year two boys had been found hanging in their cell. I was in fear of my life."

He added: "If Husband was off for any reason, it was a great pleasure for me. That is how bad it got."

Jamie Hill, prosecuting, told the court how boys were sent to the centre for "short, sharp shocks".

He said Mr Husband - who worked in the prison service for 27 years - was based in the kitchen, where he would be in charge of 12 to 15 inmates. aged between 16 and 19, at once.

Mr Hill said: "He took advantage of his position and on occasions would quite blatantly indecently assault inmates in front of others working in the kitchens.

"The prosecution would say that during this period the defendant managed to continue what he was doing and prevent complaints by inducing terror and extreme fear over those he controlled."

Mr Hill said an important feature of the case was that people, who are now spread throughout the country, had made complaints independently of one another .

One alleged victim is serving a life sentence and will be brought from his cell to give evidence.

The case continues.