Brook House: Suicidal man put in neck hold, inquiry hears

A public inquiry into the mistreatment of immigration detainees has been shown footage of a member of staff putting a suicidal man in a neck hold.

The inquiry into Brook House removal centre, near Gatwick, is examining mistreatment of detainees, as well as the attitudes and culture of staff.

The hearing was shown 28 minutes of unedited footage shot by undercover BBC Panorama reporter, Callum Tulley.

At the time he was working as a custody officer and was left to watch the man.

The man then started to strangle himself, the inquiry heard.

Another officer, Yan Pascali, came in and held the man's head between his knees, and his neck between his hands.

The officer swore at the man and said he was going to "put him to sleep", the footage showed.

After several minutes of screaming by the detainee, the officers left the room and he became calmer.

Mr Tulley's hidden camera and microphone then captured him walking to the toilet, and in tears as he attempted to compose himself.

In an opening presentation by lead counsel Brian Altman QC, the inquiry was told the detainee had come to Europe by boat, having been tortured for two days in his native Egypt.

During the journey he "witnessed traffickers misusing drugs and alcohol, abusing passengers, raping women and anyone who resisted was killed", Mr Altman said.

He said the man had been diagnosed with PTSD and a "major depressive disorder".

When he was moved to Brook House he staged a protest on "suicide netting" inside his wing, and attempted to take his own life many times, the inquiry was told.

Mr Altman said on the day of the choking incident the detainee had been attempting to tie a T-shirt around his neck, when the custody officers moved in.

"He recalls that after this event he felt even more hopeless and alone," Mr Altman told the inquiry.

Later, Mr Tulley asked another officer Clayton Fraser, about the best way to deal with a suicidal detainee.

Mr Fraser said: "What Yan did."

Mr Altman said this was an apparent reference to Mr Pascali's choke hold.

Jonathan Collier, an expert in the safe use of force, has advised that Mr Pascali's grip on the detainee was not in line with restraint techniques which are taught.

Five years ago, Mr Tulley, a former Brook House officer and now a BBC journalist, carried out secret filming for Panorama.

He had called the BBC after witnessing three incidents in which staff mistreated detainees.

The programme revealed harsh treatment, widespread drug use and bullying and raised concerns about the mental health care given to detainees.

Mr Altman said 109 hours of footage had been given to the inquiry and four hours identified as "key evidence".

Ten members of G4S staff were dismissed or resigned in the wake of the BBC broadcast.

At the time, G4S ran the Sussex centre, but Serco took it over last year.

The centre, which holds foreign nationals who have served prison sentences and people whose asylum claims have been refused, can house more than 500 men and has the same security as a Category B prison.

The first phase of public hearings began on Tuesday and will continue until early December.

The second phase of the inquiry will take place early next year and is expected to conclude by the spring.

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