Imran took his life five days after being sent to HMP Belmarsh to begin his sentence. He had turned 18 the previous month. After three weeks of evidence and four days of deliberations, the jury at Southwark Coroner’s Court returned 17 pages of narrative conclusions on Tuesday 3 November, criticising the Ministry of Justice, Care UK, the Youth Justice Board and Tower Hamlets Youth Offending Team.
The jury recorded a host of failures, including: a systemic failure to act upon Imran’s well-documented history of suicidal thoughts; a lack of transition planning leading to his unintended transfer to HMP Belmarsh; a systemic lack of communication by almost all of the agencies involved; a lack of preparedness on the part of HMP Belmarsh to deal with 18-21 year old prisoners; repeated failures by prison and healthcare staff at HMP Belmarsh to initiate suicide prevention procedures; and the location of Imran on ordinary wings at HMP Belmarsh, despite his Vulnerable Prisoner status.
Imran’s mother was represented by Kirsten Heaven, instructed by Charlotte Haworth Hird of Bindmans Solicitors. Imran’s father, sister and step-mother were represented by Richard Reynolds, instructed by Sophie Priestley of Hickman and Rose Solicitors.
