‘He’d take boys down to the chicken shed’: survivors share harrowing allegations of rape in Canberra youth detention
News Source
•Thu, 15 Oct 2026 14:00:17 GMT
📰 What Happened
At least 13 former detainees say a guard sexually abused them in ACT youth detention between 2003 and 2013. The man was Brett Dennis, known to the boys as Chicken. Four men have told Guardian Australia what happened at the Quamby centre, which closed in 2008, and its successor, Bimberi. One man, James, says Dennis took boys one at a time to an old chicken shed away from the security cameras. Another, David, alleges Dennis raped him five times and gave him the drug ice as a teenager. Dennis died by suicide in 2017. The ACT government says it knew of no allegations against him before his death.
🔍 The Backstory
The claims are now before the courts. Twenty-two people have lodged civil cases alleging past sexual abuse by staff or other detainees at Quamby and Bimberi, naming the ACT government as a defendant. Another 31 personal injury claims are at an earlier stage. Quamby opened in 1962 and held children as young as ten before it was shut down over human rights concerns. The men say they were not believed, or had no safe way to report abuse at the time.
🎯 Why It Matters
The case tests whether governments can be held responsible for failing to protect children in their care. It also shows how abuse can stay hidden for decades when young people have no one they feel able to trust. If the claims succeed, it could force changes in how youth detention is run. Survivors hope the cases bring accountability and lasting change to how the system treats young people.
At least 13 former detainees say a guard sexually abused them in ACT youth detention between 2003 and 2013. The man was Brett Dennis, known to the boys as Chicken. Four men have told Guardian Australia what happened at the Quamby centre, which closed in 2008, and its successor, Bimberi. One man, James, says Dennis took boys one at a time to an old chicken shed away from the security cameras. Another, David, alleges Dennis raped him five times and gave him the drug ice as a teenager. Dennis died by suicide in 2017. The ACT government says it knew of no allegations against him before his death.
The claims are now before the courts. Twenty-two people have lodged civil cases alleging past sexual abuse by staff or other detainees at Quamby and Bimberi, naming the ACT government as a defendant. Another 31 personal injury claims are at an earlier stage. Quamby opened in 1962 and held children as young as ten before it was shut down over human rights concerns. The men say they were not believed, or had no safe way to report abuse at the time.
The case tests whether governments can be held responsible for failing to protect children in their care. It also shows how abuse can stay hidden for decades when young people have no one they feel able to trust. If the claims succeed, it could force changes in how youth detention is run. Survivors hope the cases bring accountability and lasting change to how the system treats young people.