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Stacey Flegg is our Eastwood Park Compensation Scheme expert
Stacey dealt with my case and she was amazing throughout the whole process, can’t thank Winston Solicitors enough
About Eastwood Park Detention Centre
Update on the Eastwood Park Detention Centre Scheme - Don't miss out!
Eastwood Park, Falfield, Gloucestershire, is now a closed-category prison for women, but this has not always been the case. Originally built in 1964, Eastwood Park was run by the Home Office as a Youth Offending detention centre for young boys between the ages of 14 and 17.
Since its time as a Young Offenders institution, particularly in the 70s and 80s, there have been countless accusations made against the staff entrusted with rehabilitating the boys in their care. Accusations include verbal abuse, physical abuse, and sexual abuse.
One prison officer in particular, Patrick Daveney of County Down, Northern Ireland was convicted of Gross Misconduct in February 2023 following reports of his “evil” and “sadistic torture” of over 100 boys in his care between 1970 and 1983.
The courts heard witness evidence from a small number of Daveney’s victims who described him as “cruel” “brutal” and “the worst of the worst”.
Eastwood Park Detention Centre Scheme
There are currently ongoing discussions between Solicitors and the Government Legal Department around the administration of a scheme to compensate those whose suffered abuse whilst in residence at Eastwood Park Detention Centre.
We urge anyone who suffered physical, sexual or mental abuse whilst resident at Eastwood Park, to report their experience to Avon and Somerset Police. You can do this by calling 101, or report online by visiting https://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/forms/rac
Update expected shortly
The Ministry of Justice previously announced that a compensation scheme is being set up for victims of abuse at Eastwood Park Detention Centre. Eastwood Park was used as a juvenile detention centre during the 1970s and 1980s.
Following a court case in 2023 a former prison guard, Patrick Devaney, now in his 80s, was convicted of misconduct in a public office for beating and abusing boys in his care.
Judge Edward Burgess KC, said Devaney “took sadistic pleasure” in mistreating the boys.
Boys aged 14 to 17 spent time at Eastwood Park Detention Centre during the 1970s and 1980s with most being there for relatively short periods of time.
A number of boys gave evidence at the court case against Patrick Devaney describing their experiences. The abuse started as soon as a boys arrived at the centre. This was passed of as discipline. In 1979, following the election of Margaret Thatcher, a short, sharp, shock policy was put in place for young offenders with a military style regime intended to shock them out of reoffending.
An update is expected from the Government Legal Department shortly. Following discussions with them, we anticipate the scheme could be live in a matter of weeks.
DO NOT MISS OUT!
Contact our experts now to ensure your claim is submitted as soon as possible!
How can we help?
We understand that coming forward and revisiting historical abuse can be extremely distressing and triggering. We are here to help.
We believe that all survivors of abuse deserve to have their voices heard, and through this Scheme, we hope that some justice will finally be served.
Winston Solicitors is one of the leading law firms in Leeds and is dedicated to supporting victims of physical violence and abuse whilst obtaining compensation for their suffering.
Our expert team of specialist lawyers will act on your behalf to apply to and navigate the scheme to ensure the correct amount of compensation is made to you.
As the scheme is due to go "live" any day – now is the perfect time to discuss your case with us.
If you would like to discuss making a claim under the scheme, please contact us on 0113 320 5000.
The guidance we have presently is “No”. Whilst having as much evidence of your claim as possible, available would be advantageous, for those who do not wish to make a report to the police, this is currently not a requirement of the scheme. If you do wish to make a report, please report this to Avon and Somerset Constabulary, either online via their website, or by calling 101.
We understand that your time at Eastwood Park will have been many years ago, and therefore it may be difficult know the exact dates. With your consent, we will contact the Criminal Records Office and obtain your convictions history, which will evidence your detention at Eastwood Park.
Final figures are still under negotiation however we anticipate the awards to range between £3000 and £9,500.
Our injury specialists will make the claim on your behalf. The process is likely to be similar to other schemes which we have vast experience with. Please use our contact form below to get in touch with a member of our team. They will take some details of your time at Eastwood Park and will be able to tell you whether you are likely to be successful in claiming compensation.
We believe the scheme requirements will include direct application of force and therefore the scheme is unlikely to compensate those who witnessed abuse of others, or were made to live in a harsh environment. If however you sustained direct physical aggression or abuse, including sexual abuse or touching, you should be eligible for compensation.
We understand that you may well have not sought medical attention for your injuries, or have evidence of the same. We will put forward your case and detail the nature of the abuse you suffered, including any injuries. If you are claiming long term physical or mental injuries as a result of your abuse, we may need to obtain medical evidence to support the same.
As a firm, we operate on a No win, No fee basis. Meaning you only pay legal costs if you are awarded compensation.
We anticipate the Scheme will have provision for legal costs, therefore you will keep 100% of your compensation and we will not charge you anything. We will seek remuneration of our costs directly from the scheme.
Yes. The awards for the scheme are anticipated to reflect your time spent at Eastwood Park. We anticipate this to be in the following categories:
- Period up to three months
- Period over three months
- Long term physical or mental injuries because of abuse sustained at Eastwood Park
Negotiations are also taking place in relation to whether awards will be available for racial abuse.
Until the scheme is published, it is difficult to advise, however we anticipate that you will make one claim, to cover the entire period of time spent at Eastwood Park.