Man found dead on asylum barge was “tricked”, says support worker

Leonard Farruku, who was found dead on the Bibby Stockholm barge in December, was "tricked" on to it, and his mental health concerns were ignored, say a support worker who worked with him.

Farruku's family have called for an independent inquiry into his death, and have written to Justice Minister, Alex Chalk, who has passed the request on to the Home Office.

Although all deaths in immigration detention require investigating, the Bibby Stockholm barge is not classified as a detention centre even though men are placed there against their will and describe it as “prison-like”.

The letter from the family to Chalk describe the barge as having “closed, quasi-detention conditions”, and therefore cannot be distinguished from a detention centre meaning the prisons and probation ombudsman (PPO) are required to investigate the death.

Farruku died of a suspected suicide aboard the barge, moored in Portland, Dorset, on 12 December last year. A support worker familiar with the case has described how he repeatedly raised concerns with Home Office contractors about his mental health before he was placed on the barge, but was ignored.

The support worker, who has remained anonymous, said: "He had been let down for a long time from pretty much every direction. I was always really concerned about him and sometimes he went into mental health crisis.

“There are so many important parts of his story that need to be told as I am convinced this will happen again if pressure is not put on those who hold duty of care to support these people and who are consistently failing to meet their duty.”

The support worker claimed Farruku was terrified of being taken to the barge and refused to go there but was “tricked” into getting into the car to go there by contractors who told him he was going to be taken to a hotel in Swindon.

“When a car came to collect him to take him to the barge he became hysterical and refused to go. He agreed to get into the car when he was told he would be taken to the Swindon hotel instead. He was tricked.”

Farruku’s sister Jola Dushku, who lives in Lombardy, Italy, said her brother was “sweet and beautiful” and dreamed of being a rapper when he was living in Albania. She said the family was still in a state of shock about his death.

She said the UK government had not formally notified her or her older sister, Marsida, 35, about Farruku’s death and that cousins in the UK had been informed instead and had passed on the news.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “This was a tragic incident and our thoughts are with everyone affected. This incident is currently being investigated by the police and coroner and it is right that the facts and circumstances are established in the appropriate, legal manner. We take the welfare of all asylum seekers very seriously, and all concerns raised by any asylum seekers are dealt with sensitively.”