Patrick Devaney: Detention guard guilty of abusing position

A "sadistic" guard at a juvenile detention centre near Bristol has been found guilty of abusing his position.

Patrick Devaney subjected teenage boys aged between 14 and 17 to physical, racial and verbal abuse at Eastwood Park between 1970 and 1983.

At the time he was a guard at the centre.

The 80-year-old, who now lives in County Down in Northern Ireland, will be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court in April.

During his four-week trial, more than 20 former detainees, who were teenagers at the time of their custody, gave evidence.

None of the victims can be named for legal reasons and the verdict could only be reported on Tuesday after a judge lifted reporting restrictions.

One victim said Devaney "was just nasty and sadistic, he would dish out punishment to a lot of kids, the treatment was brutal".

Another described him as an "absolute monster, a psychopath, a thug who assaulted people on a daily basis, numerous times a day".

A third described the centre as a "place where people were not treated like human beings - everyone remembers Mr Devany because he was the worst of the worst".

At the time, government policy including punishing young offenders with a "short, sharp shock" and detention centres would implement a harsh "military-style" regime.

But Devaney's behaviour went far beyond what was "appropriate or acceptable".

The witnesses claimed Devaney was particularly brutal in the gym and would slap and punch boys who could not beat their times at circuit training.

The boys were frequently beaten around the face and ears and made to exercise so hard that they would pass out or vomit, the jury heard.

He would also use racist language towards some detainees, the trial heard.

During the trial, Devaney admitted rapping inmates on the knuckles or giving them a slap around the ear but denies the level of the alleged assaults.

He admitted "playing games" in the gym but said he would join in and denied it amounted to abuse.

Detective Inspector Alan Smith, from Avon and Somerset Constabulary, said Devaney "exploited his position to physically assault those who he was meant to keep safe".

"The force he used however went way beyond what was appropriate and acceptable, with many of his victims describing him as sadistic and someone who enjoyed inflicting pain on them," he added.

Andy Pritchard, from the CPS, said: "It is because of these men's bravery in coming forward, some looking Devaney in the eye as they gave their evidence, that justice has been delivered, decades later."

Devaney was also found not guilty of one charge of indecent assault. The jury failed to reach a verdict on two other counts of the same charge.

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