VICTIMS of sexual and mental abuse by staff at an infamous approved school in Newton Abbot have received an apology from council chiefs more than 40 years on.

County Hall’s chief officer for children’s services has told a London-based national inquiry into historic abuse that the authority is ‘deeply sorry’ for the suffering experienced by boys at the Forde Park establishment between the 1970s and 1985 when it closed.

Jo Olsson, in a letter read out to the inquiry by council legal representative Paul Greatorex, said: ‘The council is deeply sorry for the abuse suffered by some residents at the hands of those who perpetrated the crimes.

‘The council and I commend their bravery in bringing such painful and distressing memories forward.

‘The council will continue to treat any claims from former residents delicately and with respect, recognising that each case involves an individual person not a member of a group.’

David Enright, who represents some of the victims, had challenged the county council to apologise and offer support to the pupils who had been been on the receiving end of the physical, mental and sexual abuse.

Ms Olsson was happy to offer Forde Park abuse survivors support and counselling, and invited them to get in touch.

Mr Enright, who represents 13 former pupils, said the apology, however overdue, was a major step forward. It was appreciated.

But he did add: ‘It is a very great pity that it has taken so many years for Devon to step up and apologise to those it failed in care.’

Some of the survivors at the inquiry described the apology as ‘hollow.’

Forde House was run by the Home Office then became a community home when it was taken over by Devon County Council in 1973.

A subsequent police probe, codenamed Operation Lentisk, resulted in several staff convicted of assaults and sex offences against boys who were sent there from the age of 10 by the courts and social services.

At the hearing on Monday, the inquiry heard evidence from Rod Luck of Devon County Council’s former insurer Municipal Mutual Insurance Ltd which handled the civil claims from Forde Park victims on behalf of the county council.

Questioned by inquiry lead counsel Peter Skelton QC as to whether he had seen evidence of ‘collusive’ or improper behaviour between representatives of the insurers, council and claimants, Mr Luck said he had not seen any evidence of that.

Earlier Emily Wilkins of Devon County Council said in a statement the authority appointed solicitors Veitch Penny to deal with the Forde Park claims, working with its insurer MMI, and most of the Forde Park survivors were represented by solicitors Woollcombe Beer Watts.

There had been 101 claims received between 1988 and 2013 and dating back to 1968, 46 of which were settled.

During the relevant period, the insurance policy had no excess, so any payments were funded by the insurer.

What happened to the former pupils at Forde Park is being used as a case study in an investigation by the Independent Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse into the experiences of victims in the aftermath of child abuse cases.

Mr Enright has said the Home Office and Devon and Cornwall Police carried out a large-scale investigation into child abuse at Forde Park School in 1958, so the authorities were aware of the violence and the risk of sex abuse.

The inquiry has heard evidence that boys reported allegations of abuse to the police in 1976, but the investigation did not appear to have resulted in action against the staff named.

Mr Enright has told the inquiry many of the survivors felt let down by their legal representation at the time, the civil justice process and the amounts they received after the county council settled the cases.

He said that in the two years it had taken to reach the public hearings, two of the Forde Park victims had died, and another was now seriously ill.

He quoted from the statement of one of the deceased, given the inquiry code of F17, who said: ‘I had my childhood stolen from me.

‘The abuse I suffered was never investigated and I have never received an explanation for why staff at Forde Park were able to abuse children without anyone stepping in to stop it.’