D180

20. D180 is a Jamaican national.¹ He had been living in the UK for 22 years prior to being detained under immigration powers. He was detained at Brook House from May 2015 to May 2017.²
21. From the time when D180 arrived at Brook House until August 2016, he was visually impaired,³ which made moving around the building “really challenging”.⁴ When he arrived, he told staff that he was visually impaired but, in his induction, he was “shown” where things were and he was allocated a cell upstairs.⁵ He was later moved to a cell downstairs but, as the canteen and shower cells were located on the upper floor, he had to rely on other detained people to assist him.⁶ He said:

“I wasn’t given any help by detention staff to cope with my disability. Nobody asked me about my visual impairment and my needs.”⁷

22. Speaking about his experiences at Brook House, D180 said:

“It was very difficult and often frightening for me at Brook House being almost blind. I didn’t know anyone there and I couldn’t see other detainees properly. I didn’t know my way around and couldn’t see how to get around. The place was extremely noisy, with loud banging of doors and shouting. I felt scared, intimidated and very vulnerable.”⁸

23. In May 2017, after two years in detention, D180 voluntarily returned to Jamaica.⁹

1. DPG000040_0001 para 2[↩]
2. DPG000040_0001 paras 2-3[↩]
3. DPG000040_0001 para 4[↩]
4. DPG000040_0004 para 14[↩]
5. DPG000040_0003 paras 11 and 13[↩]
6. DPG000040_0003 para 13; DPG000040_0004 para 16; DPG000040_0005 para 20[↩]
7. DPG000040_0005 para 21[↩]
8. DPG000040_0003 para 12[↩]
9. DPG000040_0001 para 3[↩]