Latest news with #illegaldetention
Free Malaysia Today
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Siti Kasim wins suit over unlawful arrest by Jawi officers
Siti Kasim was arrested during a 2016 raid at a transgender beauty pageant event. KUALA LUMPUR : The High Court here has ruled that the federal territories Islamic religious department (Jawi) and its officers unlawfully arrested and detained lawyer-activist Siti Kasim during a raid on a private fundraising dinner in 2016. Judge Su Tiang Joo said the court was satisfied that Siti had proven her case on a balance of probabilities. He affirmed that Siti had been present in her capacity as an assistant advocate when she was arrested at about 10.30pm on April 3, 2016, and held without basis until her release at about 2.30am the following day. Su said the religious officers involved had neither the lawful grounds to arrest Siti nor the authority to act on offences under the Penal Code. He awarded Siti RM160,000 in general and aggravated damages, along with RM100,000 in legal costs. Siti filed the civil suit against Jawi and the government in September 2019, claiming compensation for wrongful arrest and illegal detention. She contended that she suffered 'loss of freedom' for four hours after she was detained by the Jawi officers, as well as nervous shock, insult and mental anguish. She said she was only carrying out her duty as a lawyer during the raid, and insisted that she had not obstructed the officers from carrying out their duties. Siti was acquitted by the magistrates' court here on Aug 21, 2020, of a charge under Section 186 of the Penal Code for obstructing Jawi officer Nor Jihan Saleh during the raid, which took place at a transgender beauty pageant event. Lawyer A Saha Deva represented Siti, while senior federal counsel Nur Irmawatie Daud appeared for the defendants.
BBC News
18-07-2025
- BBC News
'Cockroach-infested' Pentonville Prison illegally detains inmates
A cockroach-infested prison that illegally detained inmates for longer than their release date in "frightening conditions" has been put into special inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor served an urgent notification on HMP Pentonville in Islington, north London, after an inspection discovered many inmates had been kept there after they should have been freed because staff "failed to calculate sentences accurately".The watchdog said data showed 130 inmates, 20% of those eligible for release, had been held after their release date in the past six Minister for Prisons, Lord Timpson, said: "The team is already working to urgently address the concerns raised." "We will publish an action plan in the coming weeks to support them in these efforts," he said. 'Shocking failures' The watchdog also found 10 inmates had been released early "in error" between July 2024 and June a letter to the justice secretary, the chief inspector said arrangements for new prisoners' induction and first night at the jail were "chaotic and even frightening".Men were held in dirty cells missing bedding, furniture, telephones and pillows, the watchdog said, while the majority of prisoners were locked in their cells for more than 22 hours a report also said 60% of prisoners at the Category B prison were sharing cells that were designed for one person, and there was a widespread infestation of mice and took emergency action after they found oversight of prisoners under constant supervision was "shockingly poor". One prison officer was found asleep, two were reading books and another was "completely absent".The "unacceptable practices" in the care of prisoners under constant supervision was a particular concern for inspectors, given that there were three suicides at the jail in 2025. 'Rallying cry' Mr Taylor said: "Pentonville is an overcrowded, inner-city, Victorian prison with a record of poor performance over many years."Too many of its staff have become disillusioned about the possibility of improvement or their capacity to effect change."Yet many of its shocking failures are firmly within the control of leaders."He added: "The governor will need significant support and investment from HM Prison and Probation Service to strengthen his senior leadership team, refocus on the basics and put in place effective oversight and assurance systems to turn this failing prison around." Pentonville is the 10th prison to be issued with an urgent notification since November response to the chief inspector's findings, a Prison Reform Trust spokesperson said: "This urgent notification must be a rallying cry for immediate action – fix the failing infrastructure, improve staff training, and treat prisoners with dignity."Lord Timpson added: "This government will end the chaos we inherited in our jails. We are building 14,000 new prison places and reforming sentencing so our jails reduce reoffending, cut crime and keep victims safe."
The Independent
17-07-2025
- The Independent
Cockroach-infested jail put into special measures for illegally detaining prisoners
A cockroach-infested jail which illegally detained prisoners for longer than their release date has been put into special measures by a watchdog. An urgent notification on HMP Pentonville, in north London, has been served by Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor after an inspection discovered many inmates have been kept in prison after they should have been freed because staff 'failed to calculate sentences accurately'. The watchdog said data from the prison showed 130 inmates – 20 per cent of those eligible for release – had been held illegally after their release date in the last six months. The backlog in sentencing calculations also meant 10 prisoners had been released early 'in error' between July 2024 and June 2025. In a letter to the Justice Secretary, the chief inspector said arrangements for new prisoners' first night at the north London jail and induction were 'chaotic and even frightening'. Men were held in dirty cells missing bedding, furniture, telephones and pillows, the watchdog said, while the majority of prisoners were locked in their cells for more than 22 hours a day. The report also said 60% of prisoners were sharing cells that were designed for one person, many living areas were dirty and there was a widespread infestation of mice and cockroaches. Inspectors took emergency action after they found care of vulnerable prisoners under constant supervision was 'shockingly poor', with one prison officer found asleep, two were reading books and another was 'completely absent'. The 'unacceptable practices' in looking after these prisoners, deemed at serious risk of self-harm, were a particular concern for inspectors given three suicides at the jail in 2025. Mr Taylor said: 'Pentonville is an overcrowded, inner-city, Victorian prison with a record of poor performance over many years. 'Too many of its staff have become disillusioned about the possibility of improvement or their capacity to affect change. Yet many of its shocking failures are firmly within the control of leaders. 'The governor will need significant support and investment from HM Prison and Probation Service to strengthen his senior leadership team, re-focus on the basics, and put in place effective oversight and assurance systems to turn this failing prison around.' A survey of prisoners also revealed 44% told inspectors they felt unsafe at the time of inspection, which the watchdog said was the highest figure recorded during his tenure as chief inspector. Pentonville is the 10th prison to be issued with an urgent notification since November 2022, following Exeter, Cookham Wood Young Offender Institution, Woodhill, Bedford, Wandsworth, Rochester, Manchester and Winchester prisons. The emergency measure was introduced in 2017 as a way to raise immediate concerns following an inspection, which requires a response and action plan by the Justice Secretary within 28 days. Elsewhere, the inspector's report also found when releases were planned, 23% of those prisoners were homeless on the day they were released, and very few had employment on release. Reacting to the urgent notification, Prison Reform Trust chief executive Pia Sinha said: 'Prisoners illegally held after they should have been released, or others released early in error, further undermine effective sentence planning and erode public confidence. 'This urgent notification must be a rallying cry for immediate action – fix the failing infrastructure, improve staff training, and treat prisoners with dignity.' Andrew Neilson, director of campaigns at the Howard League for Penal Reform, said the findings of the inspection were 'outrageous' and represent a 'new low' for an overcrowded public service on the brink of collapse. He added: 'While the Government inherited a dire state of affairs in prisons, it has had more than a year to bring about change. 'As report cards go, such a dire account of dysfunction in Pentonville instils little confidence that ministers have a grip of the situation.' Prisons minister Lord James Timpson said he visited the prison on Thursday, where the team is already working to urgently address the concerns raised by the chief inspector. An action plan will also be published in the coming weeks to support the efforts. Lord Timpson said: 'This Government will end the chaos we inherited in our jails. 'We are building 14,000 new prison places and reforming sentencing so our jails reduce reoffending, cut crime, and keep victims safe.'
Times
17-07-2025
- Times
Prisoners freed in error as jail ‘fails to calculate sentences'
Ten inmates at HMP Pentonville were mistakenly released early while 130 were illegally detained after their release date when staff 'failed to calculate sentences accurately', the prisons watchdog has found. The failures, which came after the government introduced emergency early release measures to ease the overcrowding crisis in jails, were revealed in one of the worst inspection reports in recent years by the prisons inspectorate, which has put the north London jail into special measures. Oversight of inmates who were supposed to be under constant supervision was 'shockingly poor', with one prison officer found asleep, two others reading books and another 'completely absent', according to the report by Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector of prisons. Taylor said that these 'unacceptable practices' in the care of prisoners requiring constant supervision were of particular concern because there had been three suicides at the jail this year. His report also cited 'frightening' conditions, such as cells being infected with cockroaches and mice. He served Pentonville with an urgent notification, which means that the Ministry of Justice must establish an action plan within 28 days to improve conditions. It is the tenth prison or young offender institution to be served an urgent notification since November 2022. The watchdog said that data from Pentonville showed 130 inmates — 20 per cent of those eligible for release — had been held illegally after their release date in the last six months. The backlog in sentencing calculations also meant ten prisoners were released early 'in error' between July 2024 and June 2025, Taylor's report said. The illegal detention of prisoners beyond their release date will make them eligible for compensation payments at taxpayers' expense, which could add up to millions of pounds. In a letter to Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary, the chief inspector also said that arrangements for the first night new prisoners spent at the north London jail and their induction were 'chaotic and even frightening'. Men were held in dirty cells that were missing bedding, furniture, telephones and pillows, the watchdog said, while the majority of prisoners were locked in their cells for more than 22 hours a day. The report also said that 60 per cent of prisoners were sharing cells designed for one person, many living areas were dirty and there was a widespread infestation of mice and cockroaches. Taylor said: 'Pentonville is an overcrowded, inner-city, Victorian prison with a record of poor performance over many years. Too many of its staff have become disillusioned about the possibility of improvement or their capacity to affect change. Yet many of its shocking failures are firmly within the control of leaders. • Drones 'could soon be used to fly prisoners out of jail' 'The governor will need significant support and investment from HM Prison and Probation Service to strengthen his senior leadership team, re-focus on the basics, and put in place effective oversight and assurance systems to turn this failing prison around.' A survey of prisoners revealed that 44 per cent told inspectors that they felt unsafe at the time of inspection, which the watchdog said was the highest figure recorded during his tenure as chief inspector. Pentonville is the tenth prison to be issued with an urgent notification since November 2022, following Exeter, Cookham Wood Young Offender Institution, Bristol, Woodhill, Bedford, Wandsworth, Rochester, Manchester and Winchester prisons. The emergency measure was introduced in 2017 as a way to raise immediate concerns after an inspection, which requires a response and action plan by the justice secretary within 28 days. Elsewhere, the inspector's report found that when releases were planned, 23 per cent of those prisoners were homeless on the day they were released, and very few had employment on release. Reacting to the urgent notification, Pia Sinha, chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust, said: 'Prisoners illegally held after they should have been released, or others released early in error, further undermine effective sentence planning and erode public confidence. 'This urgent notification must be a rallying cry for immediate action — fix the failing infrastructure, improve staff training, and treat prisoners with dignity.' Andrew Neilson, director of campaigns at the Howard League for Penal Reform, said that the findings of the inspection were 'outrageous' and represent a 'new low' for an overcrowded public service on the brink of collapse. He added: 'While the government inherited a dire state of affairs in prisons, it has had more than a year to bring about change. As report cards go, such a dire account of dysfunction in Pentonville instils little confidence that ministers have a grip of the situation.'
CTV News
11-07-2025
- CTV News
Man charged after 21-year-old killed in Quebec jail
Protestors gathered in downtown Montreal on Feb. 10, 2023 to demand justice for Nicous D'Andre Spring, a Black man who died while illegally detained at a Montreal jail in December 2022. (CTV News) Sébastien Bossé, 54, has been charged with involuntary homicide in connection with the 2022 death of Nicous D'André Spring. The 21-year-old was severely injured on Christmas Eve when correctional officers at the Bordeaux jail put him in a spit hood after an altercation with another inmate. They then pepper-sprayed him twice while still wearing the head covering. Spring was rushed to hospital and died of his injuries the next day. After appearing at the Montreal courthouse on Thursday, Bossé was released and is expected to appear in court at a later date. Spring's family, the Red Coalition and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association had demanded an inquiry into systemic racism in the provincial detention system after his death. Quebec's chief coroner also ordered a public inquiry to provide answers to the many unanswered questions the family had around Spring's death. Quebec's public safety ministry confirmed in 2023 that Spring had been unlawfully detained as he was supposed to be released from custody on Dec. 23. He was still in jail on the day of the Dec. 24 intervention, despite a judge authorizing his release. Montreal police arrested Spring on Dec. 20, 2023, on charges of assaulting a peace officer, criminal harassment and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. He was also facing two counts of breach of a condition of release. He had pleaded not guilty to all charges.
