Article content continued

Dvorzac was at the detention centre for two weeks prior to his death on Feb. 10, 2013.

“We noted … cases of grossly excessive use of restraints during hospital escorts: An 84 year-old man who had been declared unfit for detention was still in handcuffs at the point that he died,” the U.K. chief inspector of prisons says in the report.

“Only after his heart had stopped and cardiopulmonary resuscitation started were the handcuffs removed.”

The man had been wearing the handcuffs for five hours before his death.

The man did not resist or pose “any current specific individual risk,” the report adds.

The prison report cites a doctor declaring the man unfit for detention or deportation and in need of social care on January 30, 2013.

A week later, on February 6, an attempt was made to deport him, but that was halted by another doctor who said he was unfit to fly. A caseworker and on-site immigration team had previously hesitated in allowing him to fly, noting his “vulnerability and lack of contacts in the U.K.”

“The doctor’s Rule 35 report had stated ‘Frail, 84 yrs old, has Alzheimer’s disease … demented. UNFIT for detention or deportation. Requires social care,'” the report states.

The U.K. government has called the use of handcuffs in the case “unjustified.”

“The use of restraint in this case seems completely unjustified and must not be repeated. Clear instructions have been issued making clear that restraint should only happen where absolutely necessary,” Immigration minister Mark Harper said.

The Harmondsworth immigration removal centre, near Heathrow Airport, is run by GEO Group U.K., a private correctional firm.