Young Offenders Institute officers probed

Jun 28 2009 by Coreena Ford, Sunday Sun

THIS teenager claims he was left in agony when Castington officers snapped his wrist as they tried to restrain him.

Matthew Dixon, 19, is making a formal complaint against the institution, alleging the bones in his left wrist never recovered from a painful incident which took place two years ago and bares no relation to the two suspended officers.

The former pupil at Newcastle’s Kenton Comprehensive, who has suffered from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder since he was eight, admits to having a troubled childhood plagued with drug and alcohol problems.

Matthew has spent time in Castington – in both the juvenile and youth offender wings – five times throughout his teen years.

However, he is now trying to rebuild his life and said he has not been in trouble with police for 10 months.

Matthew, who grew up in Blakelaw, said: “I was in Castington shortly after my 17th birthday, but I can’t tell you why I was in - I can’t remember.

“I was in the dinner queue getting my dinner, and I called someone else in the queue a fat b******.

“The officer tried to say I was talking to him and that I’d called him names, but I hadn’t.

“I got taken to an officer’s office and was sat at the table opposite him when he asked why I was calling officers names.

“I’ve got ADHD and other problems, so I was getting stressed out because they were blaming me for something I hadn’t done.

“I jumped up and was shouting and swearing, and two officers jumped on me and did a move called a ‘wrap’ where they pin your arms behind you, and they used quite a bit of force to restrain me.

“I felt my wrist snap and it was really swelling up, so I got taken to Wansbeck General Hospital, cuffed to an officer.

“I had X-rays done and they found there was a broken bone but couldn’t do anything more at the time so I was taken back to Castington.

“They were supposed to take me back the next day, but they didn’t, that’s where I think they’re negligent.”

Matthew, who left home when he was 16, was released a few days later, and never sought medical help for his wrist, so he says his bones never knitted properly together.

He claims to still suffer pain and stiffness in the joint, prompting him to seek help from Newcastle solicitor Richard Haswell, who is helping him make an official complaint.