Scale of offences at detention centre revealed as five other former staff are convicted of physical attacks on inmates

“I wanted victims to come forward – and while many did, I believe there are far more.

“No publicity over the cases did not help this process. I would still encourage victims to come forward.”

Medomsley housed 17 to 21-yearolds, many first-time offenders held for minor crimes.

Husband, who also took Sunday services there and later became a church minister, attacked young men between 1974 and 1984.

In 2003, the pervert got eight years for abusing five boys. His sentence was increased to 10 years in 2005 after more victims came forward.

John was sent to the centre following a minor offence as a teen, when he was living in Scarborough, Yorkshire. About a decade ago, he enlisted the help of then East Kilbride MP Michael McCann, setting in motion the huge police operation.

In a TV interview in 2014, McCann said: “Four-and-a-half years ago, I received a visit at my constituency office from John McCabe. He told me that after a fairly minor crime, he was detained in Medomsley.

“During the course of his six-month sentence, he was raped every single day and suffered other torture and other abuse.

“Because of John’s bravery and his ability to speak out about it, and giving up his anonymity, it led to me raising the matter at Prime Minister’s Questions… We finally convinced County Durham Police Force to open up the investigation.”

In a statement yesterday, Durham Police said: “It is not possible to say how many men were sexually assaulted by Husband.

“At this stage of the investigation, we have in excess of 300 allegations linked to him. However, once the investigation is concluded it is highly likely that these numbers will be considerably higher.”

The Ministry of Justice revealed they have spent £3.6million on damages “settling 237 private law claims relating to sexual abuse by Neville Husband”.

The five men convicted in the series of trials were found guilty of vile, degrading attacks, but none were found guilty of sexual abuse.

A jury heard Onslow, who was in charge of physical training at the centre between 1975 and 1985, beat up an inmate who had been sent to work in the kitchens and was raped by Husband. It was after the young man told him: “There’s something amiss with Mr Husband in the kitchens.”

The five men are due to be sentenced at a later date.

Onslow and McGee have launched appeals against their convictions.

Detective Chief Superintendent Adrian Green, of Durham Police, said after the trials: “We were not expecting anything on this scale.”

He said there may be further charges against former staff.