Children abused in Nottinghamshire 'had nowhere to turn'

Children who were abused in the Nottinghamshire care system had "nobody to talk to" about their suffering, a national inquiry has heard.

Three witnesses told the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) about their experiences, which included physical, racial and sexual abuse.

The inquiry, led by Prof Alexis Jay, external, has heard hundreds of people reported suffering sexual abuse in the county.

Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire County councils apologised to victims.

The three witnesses who gave evidence on Tuesday had all been through branches of Beechwood Community Home in Mapperley.

The facility is one of three case studies for the Nottinghamshire branch of the inquiry, which opened at Trent Bridge on Monday.

A woman in her 50s, identified only as D7, said she grew up in Mansfield and went into care in the 1970s.

She recalled being attacked "on several occasions" by John Dent, a social worker who lived on site.

The witness said the first time she woke to find him on top of her in bed.

"He said 'please be quiet, I'm not going to hurt you'," she said.

"I was really, really scared."

D7 took two decades to report the abuse, helping to bring Dent to justice.

Though he was acquitted of the charges against her, he was jailed in 2002.

D7 told the inquiry she did not report the attack at first because she "had nobody to talk to" and felt she would not be believed.

"I didn't trust anyone," she said.

"I was supposed to be in a place of safety and I was actually in more danger than I was before."

A witness from Nottingham, known as L17, said she was sexually assaulted by Colin Wallace - who was later dismissed for having sex with a former resident - shortly after she arrived at Beechwood.

Describing one incident, she said: "I knew something wasn't right about the situation, but I thought that if I did as I was told I would be allowed to go home."

L17 said she was also racially abused and violently "restrained" while in care, and said other staff "would have understood what was going on".

The third witness, C21, who is now in his 50s, said he grew up near Beechwood and was "scared" when he was admitted in his teens.

He said he was sexually assaulted in showers and later raped by a member of staff, but kept quiet because he feared punishment from staff, and that people in the community would find out.

"For years I blamed myself," he said.

Having suffered with drink and drug problems for much of his life, C21 came forward after being contacted by police investigating abuse at Beechwood.

He called for the remaining buildings to be demolished to lessen the pain for survivors.

The Nottinghamshire branch of the inquiry will hear evidence at Trent Bridge this week, before its final two weeks of hearings in London.

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