D1527

7. D1527 is an Egyptian national who was detained at Brook House from April to June 2017.¹ He came to the UK in January 2014 to claim asylum² and said that he had experienced “horrible abuse and torture in Egypt”.³ His asylum claim was dismissed in October 2015.⁴ Prior to his detention, he spent time in prison in the UK.⁵ While he was in prison he experienced mental health issues and attempted suicide.⁶
8. D1527 told the Inquiry that, while at Brook House, his mental health deteriorated.⁷ If he did anything to hurt himself, the staff would put him on E Wing,⁸ a wing within Brook House which, among other purposes, was used to hold vulnerable detained people. There, he featured in covert recordings that were broadcast on the Panorama programme.
9. When D1527 was moved to E Wing, he self-harmed. On 25 April 2017, he tied a T-shirt around his neck, put a battery in his mouth, and tried to strangle himself with his own hands.⁹ D1527 said:

“I know that after this one of the detention centre staff sat on my head and strangled me … I thought that I was going to die, that the man doing this to me was going to kill me.”¹⁰

After this happened, he recalled being left on the floor.

10. He did not complain about the abuse he experienced at Brook House because he thought that these experiences were normal in detention. He said:

“I was told the man who attacked me was just doing his job. Who could I complain to? … There was so much happening I just thought it was a part of being in detention … I didn’t know what was normal in this country.”¹¹

11. In June 2017, D1527 was released from Brook House following a successful challenge to his detention¹² and, in November 2021, when he provided a witness statement to the Inquiry, was awaiting his discretionary leave application to be granted.¹³ While he was at Brook House, D1527 suffered from PTSD, including flashbacks, and was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder.¹⁴ He said:

“People who have mental health problems like me should not be in there. It is not safe and you only get worse.”⁷

1. DL0000144_0001 para 1; DL0000144_0002 para 8[↩]
2. DL0000144_0045 para 106[↩]
3. DL0000144_0058 para 141[↩]
4. DL0000150_0003 para 8[↩]
5. DL0000144_0003 para 9[↩]
6. DL0000144_0002 para 7[↩]
7. DL0000144_0061 para 148[↩][↩]
8. DL0000144_0015-0016 para 48[↩]
9. DL0000144_0018-0019 para 49 (referring to paras 39, 40 and 42) [↩]
10. DL0000144_0019 paras 42-43[↩]
11. DL0000144_0020 para 49[↩]
12. DL0000144_0002-0003 para 8[↩]
13. DL0000144_0056 para 135[↩]
14. DL0000144_0030 para 47[↩]