Abuse inquiry: Care home children dubbed devious and promiscuous

Former Beechwood staff said they did not know about sexual abuse or the "brutal culture" residents had described

A former care worker at a children's home where sexual and physical abuse took place has described residents as "devious" and "very promiscuous".

Ken Rigby said Beechwood Community Home in Mapperley was used as "a dumping ground" for difficult children.

Via videolink from Australia, he told the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) he was "physically sick" to learn of sexual abuse.

Another staff member said he was forced to fight a child on his first day.

Ken Rigby said he was "actually physically sick" when he learned Andris Logins abused Beechwood residents

The inquiry, which began hearing evidence into alleged abuse in Nottinghamshire last week, is aware of 136 people who say they were sexually abused at Beechwood as children.

Mr Rigby, who worked at the home from 1975 until 1992 and became a deputy superintendent there, told the inquiry he had "limited" contact with children, and did not see the physical abuse or a "brutal culture" as described by former residents.

He said he "fervently" believes most staff "did a very good job in the circumstances that they were having to work in".

"There are members of staff who were working at that time I would have trusted my own children with," he added.

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He said he felt "desperately sorry" for the victims of Andris Logins, who was jailed for sex crimes in 2016, and also for former staff who had not carried out abuse.

When questioned by Patrick Sadd QC, lead counsel for the Nottinghamshire branch of the IICSA, over whether there was a "culture of being physically violent towards children" at Beechwood, Mr Rigby replied: "I don't think so, I think it was the other way around."

When presented with claims that children were forced to fight against each other by staff, Mr Rigby denied this was a "fight club" that some residents had claimed, but were in fact "boxing matches" that were "fairly conducted".

He also said he advised male members of staff to ensure they were not accused of improper behaviour.

He told the inquiry: "Some of the girls... were very promiscuous, and to see how they operated around boys in the unit. Male members of staff had to be very careful and give the girls plenty of leeway, as I could put it."

Jim McLaughlin said he was "horrified" to learn of abuse by Andris Logins

Mr Rigby said efforts were taken to stop residents absconding, adding: "Some of the children coming into Beechwood were very devious. They were devious in all sorts of things. Absconding was just but one of them."

Jim McLaughlin, who worked at Beechwood for about 18 months, also claimed not to have seen a culture of abuse at the home.

He said he was forced on his first day into a fight with a resident by another member of staff and while this made him "very uncomfortable", he told the inquiry it was "the only time that I was pushed into any kind of physical confrontation with any child".

"I don't think anybody actually got hurt in the process," he added.

James Fenwick said he was "absolutely shocked" to hear about the abuse allegations against Beechwood staff

The inquiry also heard from James Fenwick, who was in charge of Beechwood for a decade from 1981.

After being told by Mr Sadd that 35 of the sexual abuse allegations about Beechwood date to the 1980s, he said he was "absolutely shocked".

He said that he was unaware of claims by residents of physical abuse, and would have taken action if he had known it was happening.

The inquiry continues.