Man with cerebral palsy and epilepsy detained by Home Office for 10 months despite doctor's warning
A disabled man with cerebral palsy and epilepsy was detained by the Home Office for ten months despite a doctor warning the government his detention was 'unsafe' and 'grossly detrimental to his wellbeing'.
The shocking case emerged in a report into immigration detention, published on Thursday, which warned sites are becoming increasingly unsafe due to an influx of foreign prisoners.
Foreign national offenders have been moved from prisons into immigration detention sites – which also house other migrants waiting on deportation – as part of a desperate scramble to reduce overcrowding in jails. This has led to male immigration detention centres becoming increasingly unsafe while drug use, which has rarely been a problem in the centres in the past, has become a big concern.
Among the revelations in the Independent Monitoring Board's annual report, monitors found that:
Drug dealers were using vulnerable men in immigration detention as 'guinea pigs' to test out new substances
Migrants were being held for over a year in detention, with the number detained for over six months at its highest level for six years
The use of force by staff against detained people increased during 2024
Foreign offenders told monitors they wanted to book their own flights to leave the UK but Home Office policy prevents them from leaving
An increasing number of people resorting to self-harm, with monitors 'very concerned about the rise in numbers attempting suicide while detained'
In one particularly disturbing case, a man who had cerebral palsy, epilepsy, mobility issues and learning difficulties was detained for ten months. In his first month, a doctor concluded that detention was 'grossly detrimental to his wellbeing' and that it was 'unsafe to look after him at the detention centre'.
The man was put in a healthcare facility away from the rest of the detainees, resulting in him spending the majority of his time confined to one room. The report found: 'His physical health was impacted during his time in detention with at least one admission to hospital.'
His mental health was also 'adversely affected' with inspectors finding 'him in distress at his situation'. He also told inspectors that 'he wanted to return to his country of origin'.
Monitors said they had serious concerns about the treatment of vulnerable people in immigration detention.
They also noted that illicit drugs have now become common place, adding: 'Substance misuse, including psychoactive and synthetic substances, had a knock-on effect on healthcare, with ambulances required in some instances.
'At Brook House immigration removal centre (IRC) dealers were thought to have used vulnerable men as guinea pigs to test these substances, with one man requiring medical care on several occasions as a result'.
Charlotte Khan, head of advocacy and public affairs at refugee charity Care4Calais, said: 'The UK's detention system destroys lives, and this report highlights exactly how prolonged periods of detention, and grossly insufficient medical care, are bad for people's physical and mental health.
'Some of the examples in this report, including people with severe disabilities being detained, should act as a wake up call for the UK government, and aid calls for humane alternatives to detention'.
Elisabeth Davies, IMB national chair, said the issues that her inspectorate were raising were not being addressed, adding: 'I find myself echoing the same concerns, alongside new ones, a year later'.
A Home Office spokesperson said: 'This government inherited a flawed and under-resourced detention system from the previous government, where years of neglect allowed unacceptable conditions to take root. We are taking decisive action to turn this around.
'We will accept nothing but the highest standards of behaviour by staff, safety and welfare provision for those in our care. Since taking office, we have increased staffing levels and are investing in modernising facilities to continuously improve conditions and safeguards.'
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