HMP Kirklevington abuse: More than 700 men contact police

Kirklevington was converted into a resettlement prison for adult male offenders in 1992

More than 700 men have now contacted police to report being physically or sexually abused by staff at a former detention centre for teenagers, the BBC understands.

The allegations relating to HMP Kirklevington, near Yarm, Teesside, date from the 1960s to the 1990s.

Cleveland Police launched the investigation in 2014.

Seventeen men who worked at the centre have been arrested or interviewed under caution.

The men - aged between 50 and 90 - have been released while inquires continue.

One former prison officer, who was interviewed a number of times, has since died.

He faced allegations of both physical and sexual abuse from 270 men.

'Slammed against wall'

Former inmates have described officers "taking joy" from punching them.

David Rivers, who was sent to Kirklevington for six weeks in 1977 for vandalism, previously told the BBC: "It wasn't just a quick punch it would be three, four or five punches.

"It would be kicking them when they were on the floor. It would be picking them up by the hair and slamming them against the wall."

The investigation is among the largest ever carried out by Cleveland Police.

Several hundred former inmates and witnesses from across the UK have been spoken to and tens of thousands of documents checked.

Kirklevington was converted to a resettlement prison for adult male offenders in 1992.