Staff at an asylum hotel where a resident killed himself were “not appropriately” trained to deal with vulnerable people, a coroner has ruled.
Home Office officials in charge of the hotel contract were also unaware that these crucial workers had been subcontracted out.
Colombian migrant Victor Hugo Pereira Vargas, 63, was found dead in his room at Boships Lions Farm hotel in Hailsham, Sussex, on 13 October 2023. He had made a desperate attempt to leave the UK just a few weeks earlier, turning up at Gatwick airport and asking immigration officers to put him on a plane.
In the weeks before his death, he had told his son several times that he was afraid of being moved to the Bibby Stockholm barge – describing it as a “maritime prison” – after fellow hotel residents were allegedly sent there.
An inquest into his death heard that senior Home Office officials in charge of asylum accommodation, and the person in charge of managing the relevant hotels contract, had no knowledge about who was actually staffing the hotel.
Clearsprings Ready Homes, the private firm that holds the Home Office asylum accommodation contract for the south of England, had subcontracted the running of Mr Pereira Vargas’s hotel to another company – Crown Lodge Accommodation Limited.
This overall contract is valued at £700 million and is expected to rise to £7bn for the decade up to 2029. Clearsprings make a seven percent profit margin on managing asylum accommodation in the south of England, the spending watchdog recently found. Graham King, founder of Clearsprings Ready Homes, has recently debuted on The Sunday Times Rich List with a fortune of £1.015 billion.
Crown Lodge then outsourced the staffing of the hotel to a third company, Becker Hoffman Facilities Management Limited, without the knowledge of government officials responsible for overseeing Clearsprings’ contract.
Mr Pereira Vargas came to the UK by plane from Spain on 4 August 2023 and claimed asylum on arrival. He was taken to the Sussex hotel on the same day and had spent a little over nine weeks there before he inflicted fatal wounds on himself.
Former residents of the hotel told the inquest they noticed Mr Pereira Vargas becoming increasingly erratic and paranoid during his time there, reporting he would regularly block his door and express concerns about microphones in his clothing. His former roommate was moved to another room after becoming alarmed by Mr Pereira Vargas’s behaviour.
But these signs were missed by the inadequately trained staff who were tasked with carrying out welfare checks of migrants, the inquest heard.
Under its contract with the Home Office, Clearsprings is required to ensure all staff who interact with asylum seekers are trained in areas including safeguarding and suicide awareness.
Steven Lakey, Clearsprings’ managing director, told the court the company came to rely on subcontractors as an emergency measure to cope with an unforeseen rapid increase in small boat arrivals shortly before the coronavirus pandemic.
The court heard that the Home Office and Clearsprings relied on assurances from Crown Lodge that staff were trained. Crown Lodge told the inquest they relied on similar assurances from Becker Hoffman – but did not seek further verification such as copies of certificates.
Becker Hoffman’s onsite staff – responsible for checking on resident’s welfare once a week – were “not appropriately trained,” the coroner concluded.
One staff member, who conducted the final two welfare checks prior to Mr Pereira Vargas’s death, had received no formal training whatsoever.
This staff member variously recorded that Mr Pereira Vargas had “no issues” and was “in good condition,” which contrasted with testimonies from several fellow residents alarmed by his increasing paranoia.
Assistant Coroner Michael Spencer expressed doubt as to whether staff really carried out all their checks as described. One welfare check was recorded to have taken place “face-to-face” with Mr Pereira Vargas on 25 September, despite records showing he left the hotel the previous day in an attempt to flee the UK, and did not return until the 26th.
The court was also told hotel staff did not book a mental health GP appointment requested for Mr Pereira Vargas on 11 September, after he told them he had not slept for three days, until two weeks later – although incorrectly logged that they had done so right away. When Mr Pereira Vargas eventually received a text from the GP to arrange an appointment, he responded in Spanish saying he had no mental health issues.
The coroner said that “it is possible these factors cumulatively contributed to [Mr Pereira Vargas’s] decline and death”, in addition to his experience of trauma in his home country, his sense of isolation at the hotel, and desperation to leave the UK.
Had there been better welfare checks and assistance accessing a GP, it is possible Mr Pereira Vargas may have engaged and been given treatment, the coroner said, although this could not be certain.
He concluded that Mr Pereira Vargas had died from self-inflicted injuries whilst suffering from extreme anxiety and distress, but that it was not possible to conclude whether he had intended to take his own life.
Becky Hart of Bhatt Murphy who acted for Mr Pereira Vargas’s family said: “The Home Office has failed to put in place proactive systems to ensure frontline staff in asylum accommodation have been trained in safeguarding and suicide awareness”, adding that this remains “a real and obvious risk to life.”
Dame Karen Bradley, chair of the home affairs select committee, a group of MPs who are currently holding an inquiry into asylum contracts, said: “We are deeply concerned about what the circumstances of this tragic death reveal around the operation of asylum accommodation contracts.
“These contracts come at great cost to the taxpayer. With that comes an expectation of high standards of support and proper oversight to ensure facilities are run correctly. This applies whether services are subcontracted or not.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “This was a tragic incident and our thoughts are with Mr Vargas’ family and friends. The health and safety of asylum seekers is a priority and our providers maintain high standards and follow established standard procedures to manage the safety, security and wellbeing of those we accommodate.”
A spokesperson for Crown Lodge said: “We are deeply saddened by the incident that occurred. Out of respect for the individual and their loved ones, we will not be commenting further.”
Becker Hoffman has ceased trading and no longer provides Home Office accommodation. A solicitor who acted for them during the inquest said that Mr Pereira Vargas had been seen by GPs who did not detect any cause of concern about his mental health, and Mr Pereira Vargas had also declined help from mental health services.
Clearsprings declined to comment.
Reporting contributed by Liberty Investigates.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you
