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A coroner has criticized a detention center operator for not allowing a mother to hug her distraught son before he took his life.
An inquest jury found Franco Ospina, a 39-year-old Colombian who was jailed at Heathrow immigration removal centerhe died by suicide after missing an opportunity to help him after being seen by staff trying to harm himself.
On the last day she saw him alive, his mother Maria Ospina said she “couldn’t believe what I was looking at” through the glass, adding that her son was unrecognizable and was looking at her as if she was not there.
“I desperately wanted to hug him because I believed that was the way to bring him back to reality. It would be the last chance to hug my son, but I couldn’t because we were separated by a glass screen and these two men were watching us,” she said.
Senior Coroner for West London, Lydia Brown, wrote to the Home Secretary Yvette CooperNHS England and Home Office contractor Mitie, demanding that they act to prevent similar tragedies.
The jury found that, after a two-week investigation, there were “unacceptably inadequate” observations by the detention officer in charge of monitoring Mr. Rashes in the care unit of the center – a special unit for people experiencing a mental health crisis.
The investigation found out that Mr. Ospina was observed banging his head against the wall and fighting with a television cable. Despite the fact that staff at the detention center testified that Mr. Ospina tries to take his own life, and Mr. Ospina told the staff about a further attempt, the general practitioner in the center did not make a report based on rule 35, which would have informed the Ministry of the Interior about the suicide of Mr. Measles. intentions.
The coroner also questioned why such a report could only be made by a general practitioner, when the detainees were examined by a wider team of health professionals who could make a crucial report.
Mr Ospina, an engineering graduate, was detained for working without a valid visa after a raid on a restaurant in March 2023. His mother said he had taken up odd jobs to cover rent and living expenses while temporarily in the UK, before enrolling in a master’s degree course in Spain.
She explained that despite her partner calling the detention center to make appointments to see her son, “for no reason we were told we couldn’t see him.”
She decided to come to the detention center without an appointment because she was increasingly worried about his state of mind. When she was finally allowed to see him, she said she “couldn’t believe what I was looking at” through the glass.
Ms Brown criticized Mitie, who runs the immigration centre, after Ospina’s mother Maria was only allowed to see her son on a “closed” visit.
This meant that her son was accompanied by two police officers, and their meeting took place behind glass, where no physical contact was possible, in furniture that Marija described as “like visiting a convict in prison.” The police eavesdropped on the family and took notes.
In a statement to the inquest, she said: “I saw Frank Ospina that day, but when I looked at him, I was horrified, because I did not recognize my son. He was staring at me like I wasn’t there.”
This was the last time Maria saw him alive. She told the inquest that she would speak to her son on the phone at least three times a day during his time in custody, adding: “I knew that because he was in custody it was very difficult for him to cope. I could feel it through his voice and the things he would say.
“This broke my heart because throughout his life he was a free spirit and loved to travel. The fact that he was detained without close and personal contact with family and friends was something that he, and neither we, could deal with mentally.”
Mitie told the inquest they were unaware the closed visit had taken place and apologized – confirming it was inappropriate. They said the couple should have been allowed to meet in a common common area where they could hug and talk in private.
A Mitie spokesman said: “We accept that the decision to place Mr Ospina’s family in a closed room for their visit was wrong and not in accordance with our policies and procedures, and we apologize for that.”
In her report obtained by the unit for investigative reporting Liberty investigates, the coroner said she was concerned that the closed visitation took place apparently without the consent of the manager on duty.
The Home Office and NHS England have been contacted for comment.
If you are experiencing distress or struggling to cope, you can speak to Samaritans in Confidence on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org or visit Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you’re in the US and you or someone you know needs mental health help right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access the online chat with 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline available to anyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can leave www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.