Care failings before man’s death at immigration detention centre, inquest hears

Staff at an immigration detention center failed to raise concerns about the health of a vulnerable epileptic man before he died, an inquest heard.

French national Théophile Kaliviotis died in custody at Brook House immigration removal center in West Sussex on 27 October 2024.

Horsham Coroner’s Court heard on Tuesday Kaliviotis suffered seizures and missed taking his epilepsy medication four times before he died. The court heard the 26-year-old man had access to drug spice before he died.

The family’s lawyer, Kirsten Heaven, told coroner Joseph Turner at the pre-inquest hearing that Kaliviotis was “vulnerable and mentally disturbed” and “probably more vulnerable and worse off because of his detention”.

He said staff at Brook House, which Serco runs on behalf of the Home Office, had “clearly” failed to comply with Rule 35 of the government’s detention center guidance; This rule requires medical staff to raise concerns with management if a person’s health is adversely affected by detention.

Ms Heaven added that it was “arguable that the adults at risk policy was not adhered to at any point”. The policy balances the government’s need to detain people for removal against their weaknesses, such as physical or mental disability.

He argued that he was unable to access the same medical care while in custody that he would have had in the community, adding: “He is vulnerable, he is ill, he potentially has capacity issues and there are illegal drugs floating around.” Healthcare company Practice Plus Group provides healthcare services at Brook House.

Mr Turner said the investigation must take into account “what happened to him while he was in custody… including the medical care he was given or was not given”.

Mr Turner said Kaliviotis “had a seizure and died” but said it was not known until now what caused the seizure.

Benjamin Seifert, representing the government, said it “cannot reasonably be alleged that the arrest of Mr. Kaliviotis contributed to his death.”

The full inquest into Kaliviotis’ death is scheduled for October 2026.

Brook House, near Gatwick, is used as a detention center for people whose asylum claims have been rejected, those whose claims are still being assessed, and foreign nationals who have served a sentence in a UK prison.

The repatriation center, which has the same security level as a category B prison, has space for approximately 500 detainees.

While most detainees are held in the region for only a few weeks, some may remain there for more than two years.