Police are investigating allegations of systematic sexual abuse at a children's home in Banstead where, it is alleged, children were repeatedly raped and abused by groups of men.

Former residents have described Beechholme children's home, which stood in Fir Tree Road but has now been demolished, as a "hell" of sexual and physical abuse suffered by vulnerable young children in what they claim was a culture of fear, violence and humiliation.

Among other torments it is alleged that young children were plucked from their beds to face repeated rape and group abuse at the hands of adults.

The site was known as a "children's village" due to its sprawling nature, with children separated into a number of different houses.

Surrey Police has confirmed it is investigating alleged abuse between 1957 and 1974. A spokeswoman referred to them as "non-recent allegations" and said: "Enquiries are ongoing."

The home was run from 1930 by London County Council, which no longer exists, and later by Wandsworth Borough Council, from 1965 until it closed in 1974.

The borough council, which demolished Beechholme in 1975, has declined to comment on the allegations.

Video Loading

There are fears from former residents that the history of alleged sexual abuse has been "buried". A number of local historians found, when looking into the history of Banstead and the home itself, that many of the records about staff who worked there and other adults associated with it were destroyed when it was demolished.

This makes tracing those people who worked and visited even harder.

One man who alleges that he was repeatedly abused over two years says he is still scarred by what he claims happened.

Graeme Sergeant has waived his right to anonymity as an alleged victim of sexual abuse to speak out.

The 61-year-old, who grew up in Wandsworth before being taken to Beechholme in 1960, said: "My life was ruined 57 years ago. You think you are going into fairyland but in fact you are going into hell.

"It was painted as this ideal place but it holds dark secrets. Beechholme was full of dark, dirty secrets. It was evil. It was sick. It was systematic.

"I think hundreds of kids could have been abused. It was so widespread. There was a culture of fear.

"Within two to three months of going there it started.

"I was dragged out of bed and put in a cupboard, then paraded around naked. Then I was taken into another room and things happened. I don't like to talk about it."

Graeme claims that, as a boy, he was was forced to perform sex acts on adult men while others watched.

"I was given a belt around the ear then taken back to bed," he continued. "I was abused dozens of times in the two years I was there."

Graeme was in Drake House, one of 23 named houses on the vast Beechholme site, which were each home to dozens of children. Ages ranged from infants to teenagers.

The site, built in 1880, was designed to provide idyllic "cottage homes" for vulnerable children from London slums. The city's old county council took over after the 'poor law' was abolished in 1930. The series of homes were operated under the name Beechholme from 1951.

So far, it is understood, abuse is alleged to have taken place within four separate houses by victims who have come forward and were unknown to each other.

Whole families of siblings could be sent to Beechholme, and could be forced to face abuse together, according to survivors.

Surrey Police's investigation has reportedly reached three continents with enquiries being made in Australia, Canada and Ireland.

Accusations of sexual assault and humiliation have been levelled at "strangers", who victims did not recognise as staff, as well as older teenagers at the home.

Staff have been accused of beating and violently punishing children, and of complicity or indifference over the alleged sexual abuse.

Graeme Sergeant says his life changed when he was left at Beechholme

There are links between Beechholme and known paedophiles.

There were reports from the Department for Education in 2014 that Jimmy Saville visited Beecholme during the timescale police are investigating.

Beecholme also has direct links to those accused or convicted of abuse at another children's home.

Convicted paedophile William Hook was sentenced in 2001 for child abuse, including targeting one victim at Beecholme while working as a swimming instructor. Other victims who brought charges against him were at the notorious Shirley Oaks children's home in Croydon.

Shirley Oaks was overseen from 1952-64 by Clifford Heap, who was accused by survivors at the home of being complicit in sexual abuse.

Before this Heap had set up and run a Boy Scout's group at Beechholme in January 1952.

Another former Beechholme resident, who cannot be named for legal reason, claims he was just seven when he arrived there in 1952.

The resident, holding back tears as he recalled the alleged abuse, said: "I've still not got over it, it's still playing on my mind. I'm 71 and it's still there.

"I was woken up in bed and I was put in a blindfold and I was taken downstairs and I could hear men's voices, voices I had never heard before. They were talking about what they were going to do.

"They interfered with me."

The then seven-year-old claims he was raped and forced to perform sex acts, before being beaten and taken back to bed.

"There could have been three, four or five people in the room," he said.

"And it was not just me that was taken downstairs. Other boys were taken out of bed by adults. And they shouldn't even have been around. It was late at night.

"There were seven boys [abused in his dormitory], including me. I used to stay awake for hours wondering if I was going to be taken again.

"When it was another boy I was relieved - I hate myself for that."

Children 'were told they were lying'

Each house were run by an "aunt and uncle" pair, with the whole site overseen by a superintendent and a matron.

When the seven-year-old, who cannot be named, told an "aunt" about what he was enduring, he claims he was told that "children who tell lies go to bad places".

Within weeks of him making the allegation, he says he was moved out of Beechholme to another children's home.

This fed what former residents have called a "culture of fear" and of "violence and humiliation", where children were allegedly afraid to speak out and abuse went unreported.

Alleged victims have claimed that "telling fantastic stories", as it was labelled, was severely punished.

The former resident says he tried to report the abuse in 2013, but claims Surrey Police did not take a statement.

The force has refused to comment further, but is not under investigation itself for its handling of any allegations according the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

'It was all about survival'

Another former resident, who cannot be named, claims that dealing with his secret history of abuse took him to the verge of suicide.

He said: "I was 12 years old, it was 1962. There was sexual and physical abuse. I was in Fir House. As soon as those doors were shut, that's when it started.

"Soon it was all about survival. Older boys, they used to follow us into the toilets and make us do things.

"Everyone knew this went on. Nothing was done."

He says he was beaten and punished relentlessly by staff, who refused to act on accusations of sexual assault.

He and other alleged victims are now relieved their suffering is finally being acknowledged by some authorities, and it is hoped that more of the potential "hundreds" of alleged survivors of abuse at Beecholme will come forward.

A group known as Beechholme Survivors has been set up to support former residents who claim they were abused. They can be contacted by visiting https://twitter.com/Beechholme12 .

Surrey Police has said it will investigate all allegations fully.

A spokeswoman for the force said: "Surrey Police takes all allegations of sexual assault extremely seriously and any allegations made against individuals will be investigated thoroughly, whether they are current or historic.

"The force has a dedicated team of officers who investigate public protection matters and we would encourage any victims or anyone who has concerns about potential sexual abuse to contact us."

*Did you live at Beechholme as a child? Contact Craig Simpson at craig.simpson@essnmedia.co.uk and you story will be treated with the utmost sensitivity.