An Albanian asylum seeker who died aboard the controversial Bibby Stockholm barge was “distraught” and “tricked” into boarding the vessel after being told he was going to Swindon instead, an inquest has been told in shocking revelations about the treatment of vulnerable migrants.
Leonard Farruku, 27, was found unresponsive in a shower cubicle on the accommodation barge at Portland Port, Dorset, on 12th December 2023. A post-mortem examination confirmed he died from compression to the neck and suspension by ligature, the Bournemouth inquest heard.
Disturbing testimony revealed that Mr Farruku, who struggled with mental health issues following the deaths of his parents, had “point blank” refused to board the controversial vessel but was deceived by hotel staff into getting into the transfer vehicle.
Ashley Rangasamy, a community builder for Torbay Community Trust who provided support for Mr Farruku and over 100 other asylum seekers at the Esplanade Hotel in Paignton, Devon, told the inquest he witnessed concerning aggressive behaviour from the migrant as early as July 2023.
“He had two modes, either fine or very angry,” Mr Rangasamy testified, describing how he had seen Mr Farruku violently overturn a table in the hotel lobby. Despite suggesting voluntary talking groups and formal mental health support, Mr Farruku declined all assistance offered.
Most troublingly, Mr Rangasamy revealed that when he arrived at the Esplanade on 31st October 2023 after hearing Mr Farruku had refused transfer, he found the migrant already in the departure vehicle.
When I got there, Farruku was in the car and leaving and the staff were stood on the steps, and I said: ‘I thought he wasn’t going?'” Mr Rangasamy told the inquest. He said staff informed him that Abhijith Jayaseelan, hotel supervisor at the Esplanade, had told Mr Farruku he was not going to the Bibby Stockholm but to Swindon instead.
“They tricked him,” Mr Rangasamy stated bluntly to the court.
The support worker testified that concerns had been raised about Mr Farruku by a volunteer who heard about the impending transfer, noting “his mood had changed and he was very adamant he wasn’t going and was very distraught about the idea.”
After the deceptive transfer, Mr Rangasamy maintained contact with other residents on the Bibby Stockholm who reported that Mr Farruku’s behaviour had “significantly changed” and he was experiencing “outbursts.” Despite raising these concerns with Torbay Council, Mr Rangasamy struggled to find appropriate channels to escalate the warnings.
“I tried to find contact details for the management of the barge to raise these issues but had been unable to find a phone number or email,” he told the inquest, adding he had not contacted other organisations such as Dorset Council or Migrant Help.
When he asked a Bibby Stockholm resident to raise concerns about Mr Farruku’s condition with barge staff, the request was “just dismissed.” Mr Rangasamy admitted with evident regret: “I should have pursued the matter further, but I just didn’t know what to do.”
Mr Farruku’s sisters, Marsida Keci and Jola Dushku, who both live in Italy, questioned how their brother was allowed to be housed on the barge given his known mental health struggles. In a statement to the inquest, they described how their brother, nicknamed “Nardi,” had struggled following their mother’s death in 2013 and their father’s subsequent passing.
Ms Keci revealed she had arranged psychological support when her brother stayed with her in Italy, but he appeared “withdrawn” and refused to continue therapy sessions upon returning to Albania. She noted a “gradual change” in her brother after he moved into Home Office accommodation, stating he “seemed to be struggling” and complained about difficult hotel conditions.
“I had no idea he was later moved to the Bibby Stockholm barge,” Ms Keci told the court, highlighting the family’s lack of information about their brother’s whereabouts.
The inquest heard that Mr Farruku had arrived in the UK by boat from France before initially living with cousins, including Mariglen Farruku and another cousin, Alban Hakani. Contact with the family became increasingly infrequent after he entered the asylum accommodation system.
The Bibby Stockholm, which housed up to 500 male asylum seekers whilst they awaited decisions on their claims, had been widely criticised by human rights organisations as a “floating prison” with cramped, isolating conditions particularly harmful to those who had fled persecution and torture.
The vessel faced numerous controversies during its operation, including the discovery of Legionella bacteria in August 2023 that forced evacuation just days after the first residents arrived. Despite this health scare, asylum seekers were returned to the barge in October following what authorities called a “system cleanse.”
Human rights group INQUEST, which is supporting Mr Farruku’s family, described his death as “forewarned” and criticised the Home Office’s refusal to assist with repatriation costs, forcing the family to crowdfund to bring their brother’s body home.
The organisation highlighted widespread concerns about “prison-like” conditions aboard the barge, inadequate systems for assessing residents’ suitability for such accommodation, and subsequent health and safety failures.
A report into conditions on the Bibby Stockholm found widespread mental health problems amongst residents, with multiple former occupants describing feeling like they were “in prison” or “zoo animals.” One former resident told researchers: “It felt like we were being watched all the time, searched, but also not treated like adults, with a curfew and not being able to go out when we wanted.
The Fire Brigades Union had previously warned Home Secretary Suella Braverman that the barge was a “death trap” due to narrow corridors, limited exit points, and overcrowding concerns. Mental health experts had also warned that the isolated, confined conditions could re-traumatise torture survivors and those with existing mental health conditions.
Despite internal Home Office guidance stating the barge should not house victims of torture, those with serious mental health issues, or anyone at risk of serious self-harm, lawyers successfully challenged numerous transfer decisions after discovering vulnerable individuals, including disabled people and trafficking victims, had been sent there.
The revelation that Mr Farruku was deceived into boarding raises serious questions about the methods used to fill the controversial vessel, which the government claimed would reduce asylum accommodation costs despite a National Audit Office report finding it cost at least £34.8 million over two years.
The barge became a symbol of the previous Conservative government’s hardline asylum policies before Labour announced its closure, with the vessel finally departing Portland Port in January 2025 after 18 months of controversy.
Mr Rangasamy’s testimony about the deception used to transfer Mr Farruku adds to mounting evidence of systemic failures in the treatment of vulnerable asylum seekers. The support worker’s inability to find appropriate channels to raise urgent mental health concerns highlights dangerous gaps in safeguarding procedures.
The inquest continues as Mr Farruku’s family seek answers about how their vulnerable brother, who had demonstrated clear signs of mental distress and explicitly refused transfer, ended up on a vessel that multiple organisations had warned was unsuitable for traumatised individuals.
The case underscores broader concerns about the UK’s treatment of asylum seekers, particularly those with mental health vulnerabilities, and the devastating human cost of policies prioritising deterrence over dignity and safety.
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