An investigation has been launched into the fourth death at a Lincoln immigration removal centre in the last year.

A 27-year-old Iraqi man died at Morton Hall immigration removal centre on Sunday morning. He is thought to have killed himself.

The police have been informed and the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman are conducting an independent investigation into the death.

Just a few weeks ago Carlington Spencer, 38, from Jamaica, died at Morton Hall. In January of this year Polish detainee Lukasz Debowski died there and in December 2016 Bal Ahmed Kabia from Sierra Leone died there. There have been 10 deaths in detention centres across the UK in the last 12 months.

Detainees expressed their shock at the latest death, saying that they believed the dead man to have been extremely vulnerable.

One told the Guardian: “He was a nice lad, very quiet and kept himself to himself. But he had mental health problems and was on suicide watch.” He said that guards were supposed to be checking on the man every 30 minutes.



He added that detainees became aware of the incident early on Sunday morning.

“I heard an officer say: ‘Oh shit’ and then we were all taken out of our rooms and locked into the pool room for about an hour,” he said.

“They carried his body out through the back way in the hope that we wouldn’t see what was going on. We are all treated very badly here, like prisoners, although many of us have not committed any crime.”

Detention and human rights organisations condemned the latest death.

Celia Clarke, director of BID (Bail for Immigration Detainees) said: “We are absolutely devastated to learn of yet another death in immigration detention. Be in no doubt that this is the hostile environment in action. People we speak to are desperate and vulnerable. It cannot continue. Detention is supposed to be used as a last resort, so why are so many people detained? This broken and cruel system must end.”

Emma Ginn, coordinator of Medical justice said: “This death rate calls for emergency measures. The Home Office must take responsibility to protect the life of those in its care. They must immediately close all immigration removal centres and conduct a public inquiry into how conditions have led to this deaths rate.”

Corey Stoughton, Liberty’s advocacy director, said that the regime was “devastating” to inmates’ mental health. “It is completely unnecessary state-sponsored suffering,” she said. “We are the only EU country that allows immigration officers to lock people up without any sort of time limit for their release. Some waste years of their lives in violent, chaotic, overcrowded centres, rife with abuse, not knowing when or if they will see freedom again.

“It’s been a year since an unannounced inspection of Morton Hall exposed a surge in violence and a threefold rise in self-harm since 2013. How many more people need to die to make ministers pay attention?”

The follow-up to the independent review by Stephen Shaw, former prisons and probation ombudsman, into the welfare in detention of vulnerable persons started in September of this year. Shaw visited Morton Hall as part of his review two days before the latest death.

A Home Office spokesman confirmed that a 27-year-old Iraqi man had died at Morton Hall on Sunday morning. “Our thoughts are with his next of kin at this sad time,” he said. “As is the case with any death in detention, the police have been informed and a full independent investigation will be conducted by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO).

“We will make no further comment while this is being investigated.”

In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14. Other international suicide helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.