Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Detainee abuse film sparks inquiry calls

by Nadeem Badshah

CAMPAIGNERS have urged ministers to improve the way migrants in detention centres are treated after allegations emerged of verbal and physical abuse from guards.


Lawyers and charities have called for a review of claims of rough treatment towards detainees at removal centres, including Brook House near Gatwick Airport in Sussex.

The Home Office has pledged to carry out an independent inquiry into alleged abusive treatment of immigrants in detention centres, which handle more than 25,000 people every year.

But there are concerns over when the inquiry will submit the report, with a number of other

inquiries taking place, including over the 2017 Grenfell tower fire in west London and the NHS contaminated blood scandal, due to start in April.

A BBC Panorama exposé on Brook House, based on undercover footage shot by a detention

officer, revealed physical and verbal abuse of detainees by officers. Brook House is run by

private contractor G4S, which has conducted its own review into the claims.

Harjap Singh Bhangal, an immigration solicitor at GLS Solicitors, told Eastern Eye: “As a lawyer who regularly visits clients in detention, I often hear stories of mistreatment inside detention centres. However, the recent BBC Panorama [programme] provided full-blown evidence of this.

“Many Asian illegal immigrants are detained at this time in the UK, mainly at Harmondsworth, near Heathrow.

“People often have misconceptions that detention centres are a lot softer than prison; however, for immigrants detained there, it is nothing short of prison.

“On the flip side, immigration staff have a difficult job, with many immigrants often trying

everything in their power to avoid being deported.”

“However, this is part and parcel of the job, and every detainee has a right not to be abused. Often, access to doctors and counsellors is not provided and language and communication problems exist,” Bhangal added.

“A review of treatment of detainees in detention centres will be welcomed by all as there is

great room for improvement in the way detainees are treated.”

The terms of the inquiry into removal centres, which have not yet been agreed, will be carried out by the prisons and probation ombudsman (PPO).

It comes after figures showed suicide attempts in detention centres had risen more than 20

per cent in recent months, with almost two a day on average through the summer period.

Lewis Kett, a solicitor for firm Duncan Lewis, is dealing with a case of alleged mistreatment of detainees at Brook House.

He said the scope of the inquiry would follow Article 3 of the European Convention of Human Rights which says state agents and bodies must not engage in torture or the infliction of inhuman and degrading treatment on individuals.

Kett told Eastern Eye: “A key component of the UK’s investigative duty under Article 3 is that the investigation/inquiry should be done swiftly. Any mistreatment of detainees held under immigration powers should be thoroughly investigated and those responsible held to account.”

Meanwhile, a report in 2017 found that more women are being detained at Yarl’s Wood centre in Bedfordshire despite evidence that they are victims of torture, rape and trafficking.

The review by the chief inspector of prisons, Peter Clarke, renewed calls for a strict time

limit after finding that 15 detainees had been held for between six months and a year and one had been in detention for more than three years.

Savita Vyas, 33, who has lived in the UK for more than a decade, was sent to Yarl’s Wood after being refused a spouse visa.

She said: “I had been living a very nice life in the UK, working, paying my taxes, paying my

health surcharge.

“I want to try to move on and forgive and forget what happened to me in detention. But I’ll

never be able to forget that feeling of being an animal taken to the slaughterhouse.”

A Home Office spokesman said: “The Home Office has asked the PPO to undertake a dedicated, special investigation.

“The PPO has agreed in principle to conduct an investigation although the terms of reference are yet to be agreed.”

More For You

Donald-Trump

Speaking from the Oval Office on Friday, Trump said the US has been economically and financially 'ripped off' by several countries, including India. (Photo: Getty Images)

Trump says India has agreed to reduce tariffs

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump said India has agreed to reduce its tariffs "way down," reiterating his claim that the country imposes high tariffs on American products, making trade difficult.

Speaking from the Oval Office on Friday, Trump said the US has been economically and financially "ripped off" by several countries, including India.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rachel-Reeves-Getty

Reeves is expected to announce welfare spending cuts worth billions of pounds in the Labour government's Spring Statement on March 26. (Photo: Getty Images)

Welfare system too costly, needs reform: Rachel Reeves

CHANCELLOR Rachel Reeves said on Friday that the UK’s welfare system is "costing too much" and must be reformed as the government faces financial pressures from high inflation and borrowing.

Reeves is expected to announce welfare spending cuts worth billions of pounds in the Labour government's Spring Statement on March 26. The statement will be a follow-up to her first budget last October, according to reports this week.

Keep ReadingShow less
Thousands stranded as World War II bomb halts travel

Passengers queue to take a bus from Opera district, in order to reach Paris Charles-de-Gaulle Airport (CDG), as train traffic has been stopped at the Gare du Nord station in Paris on March 7, 2025, following the discovery of a World War II bomb. (Photo by GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP via Getty Images)

Thousands stranded as World War II bomb halts travel

THOUSANDS of passengers in Paris and London were stranded on Friday (7) after the discovery of a World War II bomb on tracks leading to the Gare du Nord station halted traffic at France's busiest railway terminus.

All traffic to the train station, which serves international, high-speed and local connections, was halted as police worked to disable the device. All Eurostar trains in Paris were cancelled.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kyle-Clifford-Reuters

Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in northwest of London, in July 2024. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)

Crossbow murderer found guilty of raping ex-girlfriend

A 26-YEAR-OLD man who murdered three women in a crossbow and stabbing attack has been found guilty of raping one of them, his ex-girlfriend, a British court ruled on Thursday.

Kyle Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in Bushey, northwest of London, in July 2024.

Keep ReadingShow less
modern-slavery-reuters

A suspected victim of modern slavery, who was initially denied state support after Britain introduced a tougher immigration policy, poses for a portrait following an interview with Reuters in London on September 19, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)

UK sees record rise in modern slavery cases

THE NUMBER of people referred as potential victims of modern slavery in the UK reached a record high last year, according to official figures released on Thursday. Experts have called for urgent policy changes to tackle the growing issue.

Home Office data showed 19,125 referrals were made to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) in 2024, the highest recorded so far. The figure surpassed the previous record of around 17,000 referrals in 2023. The NRM is the UK's system for identifying and supporting victims of modern slavery.

Keep ReadingShow less