More than 100 former detainees at Tasmania’s Ashley Youth Detention Center have filed a class action lawsuit in the Supreme Court of Tasmania, alleging they were whipped, beaten, harassed, encouraged to join gangs, sexually abused and stripped
Key points:
- Court documents detail claims by the four men dating back to the early 1990s
- Man claims he found another inmate’s body the morning after staff beat them
- All four men say they now have post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of their time there, with some experiencing flashbacks, nightmares and suicide attempts.
Warning: This story contains details that some readers may find distressing.
The court documents include numerous allegations made by four plaintiffs, with the action brought on behalf of 101 other former detainees.
Of the 101, the first claimant alleges abuse dates back to 1961, while the most recent is from 2019.
“That’s a period of just under 60 years,” said plaintiffs’ attorney Angela Sdrinis.
“On one level it was shocking and appalling. On another level, we know that children in care, not just in Tasmania but in Australia and around the world, have been victims of abuse.”
Court documents detail the four men’s claims, which date back to the early 1990s.
They allege that the former detainees were physically or sexually assaulted by staff or other detainees at the Ashley Juvenile Detention Center (AYDC) and their complaints about the incidents were dismissed.
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The complainants state that, as far as they are aware, no complaints were registered and no action was taken.
In particular, it is alleged that staff entered detainees’ cells to commit physical and sexual assaults or deliberately left the doors open, knowing that detainees would enter the rooms, sometimes as gangs, “to commit physical assaults and sexually violent among them”.
A man, known as JC, claimed he found the body of another inmate the morning after the inmate was beaten by staff. A coronial inquest found the assault had taken place two weeks earlier and dismissed staff.
Another plaintiff, known as CA, alleged that after fighting off a sexual assault by a staff member, he was assaulted by other staff members, rendered unconscious and locked in a naked isolation cell for five days with only a blanket.
He also said that on numerous occasions he was exposed to the sounds of other detainees being sexually assaulted in their cells by staff during the night.
The third plaintiff, RI, claimed that after he refused to perform oral sex on a member of staff, he was “hit and knocked out by other staff” and had to go to Launceston General Hospital.
All four men allege they now have post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of their time there, with some experiencing frequent flashbacks, nightmares and suicide attempts.
The center is about to be the subject of the Commission of Inquiry on Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. (ABC News: Luke Bowden)
AYDC ‘failed to screen staff properly’
The claim also targets the recruitment, training and supervision of staff at the detention centre.
It is alleged that not only did some staff have sexual or physical allegations against them, but there were also members of outlaw biker gangs such as the Rebels and Outlaws who worked at the centre.
One plaintiff stated that on numerous occasions he saw staff members encouraging detainees to contact gang members when they were released.
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It is alleged that AYDC did not adequately screen staff and had no, or at least inadequate, systems in place to de-escalate confrontations with detainees or supervise staff to ensure they were not verbally, physically or sexually abusive.
Instead, he claimed staff used inappropriate force, punished detainees who tried to make allegations against other staff members, assaulted them and exposed them to other detainees known or alleged to have engaged in physical or sexual violence against previous detainees.
In one example, JC alleged that after he misbehaved, he was removed by four guards who proceeded to abuse him.
“[They] grabbed him by the neck, threw him to the floor, kicked him in the ribs, and dragged him across the yard to his cell, where he was thrown onto a wooden bed and held with pressure on his neck until he lost consciousness,” the document says.
“When JC regained consciousness three hours later, he was naked and handcuffed. JC did not receive medical attention.”
“Don’t forget, children as young as 10 were sent to Ashley”
The plaintiffs also described instances of being pushed, strangled, punched, whipped, stripped, nearly suffocated, abused to the point of being hospitalized, and denied medical attention after suicide attempts.
The claims also detail degrading strip searches with guards who would harass and laugh at detainees.
“A common occurrence when children were admitted to Ashley was that they would be strip searched,” Sdrinis said.
Ms Sdrinis said the evidence coming out of the public hearing at the detention center would be “confrontational”. (ABC News: Maren Preuss)
“They would be put on the scabies cream whether they had scabies or not … we’ve been told it burned the skin, including the genital area.
“Don’t forget, 10 year olds were sent to Ashley.”
But these allegations are not revelations.
The problems with the detention center are well known and just last year the state government announced it would be closing it.
It is also about to be the subject of the Commission of Inquiry into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, with hearings scheduled for the end of next week.
“I think the evidence that will come out of the public hearing on Ashley will also be very confronting,” Sdrinis said.
A state government spokesman said they could not comment because “legal action has been flagged”.
“The Commission of Inquiry will scrutinize the AYDC in future hearings and, as we have demonstrated, we will not hesitate to act when necessary to ensure our children and young people are safe,” they said.
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