Get West London
Friday February 16, 2018
By Frederica Miller
"He was scared for his life" - the older brother of Khader Saleh describes the last time he visited him in Wormwood Scrubs prison
Khader's older brother, Said Yusuf said Khader had told him he "feared for his life" in prison (Image: Frederica Miller)
More than two weeks on from the fatal stabbing of a young man in his Wormwood Scrubs prison cell a large crowd gathered outside the Shepherd's Bush institution to protest.
Khader Ahmed Sahel, 25, was of Somali origin and his sudden death on January 31 has shocked and angered a tight knit community who believe it could have been prevented.
On Thursday (February 15) Khader's mother, Amima Duleah, and his older brother, Said Yusuf, both from Northolt, Ealing, were among those to picket the prison's gates in Du Cane Road, demanding justice.
Following his death Khader's 20-year-old wife Salma has been left to bring up their two-year-old son, Ahmed, alone.
Speaking to getwestlondon Mr Yusuf, 29, described the last time he visited his brother in prison, he said: "His state was a bit bad, you could see the violence from his body - he'd been in fights inside
"He was mentioning that there was no safety inside and that there was neglect from the guards.
"He was scared inside the prison - for his life."
He added: "We want justice for him and we would like for this prison to either be closed or to be fixed so this doesn't happen to anyone else."
The protest was organised by Somali campaigning group Gaashaan, which has set up a petition asking the Ministry of Justice to combat the issue of violence in prisons and reassess the safety of inmates in institutions across the country.
Speaking to getwestlondon, Gaashaan leader Sahel Ali said: "We are coming together to protest against the brutal stabbing of an inmate of Somali ethnic background, Khader Sahel.
"Khader was 25 years old, he was at the beginning of his life, he left behind a family and a child."
Salma Hassan, has been widowed aged 20 after her husband was fatally stabbed in Wormwood Scrubs prison on January 31 (Image: Salma Hassan)
He added: "There is nothing wrong with locking up people who commit crimes or break the law of the land but what we are unhappy, angry about and against is that people's safety inside jails has been compromised.
"And this happened a month after a report was published highlighting a surge in prison violence - that is what people are angry about today."
Khader's mother, Amima Duleah (bottom right) at the protest (Image: Frederica Miller)
A prison inspection in December revealed a high surge in violence on top of chronic staff shortages and lack of food at Wormwood Scrubs.
Following the report Chief Inspector of Prisons Peter Clarke said it painted "an extremely concerning picture."
Wormwood Scrubs inmates Ahmed Khayre, 21, Enton Marku, 20, and Khalif Dibbassey, 21, all appeared at the Old Bailey charged with Mr Saleh's murder on Tuesday (February 6).
The Recorder of London, Nicholas Hilliard QC, remanded all three defendants in custody.
Dutch national Mr Khayre, of HMP Belmarsh, British national Mr Marku, of HMP Wandsworth, and French national Mr Dibbassey, of HMP High Down, will return to court for a plea and trial preparation hearing on April 24.
Protesters
wore t-shirts emblazoned with a blood-stained photo of Khader and the
slogan "Justice for Khader" (Image: Fredrica Miller)