Inquest Finds Terrorism Control Order Had "Substantial Impact" on Prisoner Who Died in Wandsworth

A prisoner serving a sentence for breaching strict terrorism control measures took his own life after those restrictions had a "substantial impact" on his mental state, an inquest jury has concluded. Akhtar Uddin, a 35-year-old builder from east London, died at HMP Wandsworth on Christmas Day 2021. The jury at Inner West London Coroner's Court also found that the prison service failed to give him the support he needed.

The inquest was the first ever to examine the effects of Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures, known as TPIMs. These orders allow the authorities to place controls on people the government believes are involved in terrorism but who are not facing criminal charges. The home secretary imposes them on the advice of MI5. The full reasons are usually kept secret, and subjects are often not told why they have been placed under the restrictions.

Jurors concluded that Uddin died as a result of an action he took, but added that it was "not possible to determine whether he intended the outcome to be his death". They identified three central findings. First, they said the original TPIM and its unusually restrictive nature had a substantial impact on his mental state. Second, they found that his fear of the order being reimposed, and of its possibly never-ending nature, had a significant effect on him while in prison. Third, they concluded that prison staff were unaware of TPIM restrictions and their likely impact, meaning there was a failure to provide support targeted to his specific needs.

Uddin had been jailed in February 2020 for breaching the TPIM order. Before that, he had served a sentence for racially or religiously aggravated harassment. The inquest heard he had more than 20 previous criminal convictions, none of them for terrorism offences. He breached the measures 12 times by withdrawing more money than he was permitted, and the hearing was told he largely spent the extra cash on drugs.

TPIMs can impose a range of controls, including electronic tagging, curfews, relocation to another part of the country, bans on internet use, restrictions on finances, and limits on whom a person can meet and where they can go. Breaching the measures can lead to a terrorism conviction and a prison sentence. When Uddin was first placed under a TPIM in January 2020, he was forcibly relocated to the West Midlands. He had been arrested at the prison gates in front of his sister, who had come to meet him on his release.

The inquest heard that Uddin believed the order had originally been imposed because he made reckless statements while under the influence of drugs, but he insisted he was not a terrorist. It is understood he was alleged to have made verbal threats and to have associated with people MI5 regarded as involved in terrorist activity.

Coroner Bernard Richmond KC described Uddin as "loved and loving" but said he was "not someone without his troubles", which centred on his drug use. The coroner said he would issue a report to the government over concerns about a risk to other people subject to the terrorism control measures.

The hearing was told that Uddin feared the TPIM would be reimposed when he left prison early in 2022, and that he would breach it again because of drugs. His sister, Jasmine, gave evidence that in the weeks before his death he had described "counter terrorism officers" questioning him in prison and telling him he would never get off the TPIM. His former solicitor, Amer Ahmad, had told him in autumn 2021 that there were "highly limited prospects" of succeeding in a legal challenge to overturn the order.

Dr Richard Latham, an NHS consultant forensic psychiatrist, appeared as an expert witness for the coroner. He concluded that Uddin had an undiagnosed personality disorder, along with associated psychological problems and vulnerabilities, which resulted in impulsiveness, grievance and paranoia. Dr Latham said Uddin probably assumed the worst about the TPIM in future, and that this prospect would have created distress and a sense of hopelessness.

The psychiatrist added that TPIMs are intended to create a "degree of isolation", but that this plays on psychological vulnerability and can produce "emotional isolation". He also said Uddin "felt a sense of injustice" about being branded a terrorist.

A governor at HMP Wandsworth accepted in evidence that a lack of knowledge about TPIMs among prison staff had led to "unintentionally cruel" treatment of Uddin. The inquest heard there was little or no awareness of the measures among staff at the prison.

Uddin's family said they welcomed the inquest's findings. In a statement issued through their solicitors, Birnberg Peirce, they said that although nothing could bring back their loving son, brother and uncle, they hoped the outcome would make a real difference to those currently at the mercy of what they called an inhumane regime.

The case has also drawn attention to how the maximum duration of TPIMs has changed since Uddin was subject to one. At the time, the orders could last a maximum of two years, but they can now run for up to five years. The coroner's forthcoming report to the government is expected to focus on whether other people under the same restrictions face similar risks.