How sexual behaviour was 'tolerated', allowing abusers to thrive at the 'home from hell'
Beechwood Care Home in Mapperley, Nottingham was a place where abuse was rife, where young children were exposed to appalling sexual behaviour and where allegations were ignored.
Today (31st July) a public inquiry concluded that Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council, whom at different times both ran the home, failed in their duty to protect children from sexual abuse.
Residential staff at the home on Woodborough Road were 'threatening and violent, and 'physical abuse was commonplace'.
They also 'tolerated or overlooked' sexualised behaviour which allowed abusers to thrive.
The report found there were only two disciplinary actions taken when allegations of sexual abuse were made and these were inadequate.
While evidence about what went on in a number of homes will be heard at the inquiry, Beechwood is the only home which features as a standalone case study.
That's because more than 80 complainants who are 'core participants' in the inquiry, nearly half of them allege that they were abused at this one home.
There have also been more than 140 civil claims for compensation in relation to abuse at Beechwood, many of which have been settled.
And there have been a number of former staff members at Beechwood who have already been convicted of offences at the home.
FACES OF THE ABUSERS
Andris Logins worked as a residential social worker at Beechwood Children's Care home in the 1980s.
In March 2016 he was jailed for 20 years at Nottingham Crown Court for 15 offences of rape, indecent assault and child cruelty against children in his care - two girls and one boy.
When sentencing Logins, Judge James Sanson described Beechwood as the “home from hell'.
Barrie Pick was jailed in December 2017 after being found guilty of abusing a 13-year-old boy while working as a home worker.Pick was jailed for six years after being convicted at Nottingham Crown Court of two counts of indecent assault and two of indecency with a child. He was cleared of a third count of indecency with a child.
Police said the offences dated back to 1977 and took place at the Beechwood Children's Home in the city.
The name 'Beechwood' often refers to the single building located at 379 Woodborough Road, but for for much of its history Beechwood was actually made up of three separate buildings.
There was the 'main' house at 379 Woodborough Road, which was also sometimes known as the Lindens unit; the Redcot unit, at 387 Woodborough Road; and also Enderleigh, or Enderleigh House, in The Crescent, slightly further south in Alexandra Park.
During the 1985 local police stations in Nottingham logged more than 400 calls about children aged ten to 17 absconding from there.
Beechwood was a place where young children were exposed to appalling sexual behaviour, and where escaping might have been seen as the best option available.
If you've been affected by anything you've seen then you can find help and support here...
Nottinghamshire Sexual Violence Support Services - Tel: 0115 9410440