13 November 1997 Edition
McHugh brutalised again
Irish republican POW Brian McHugh has been subjected to a reign of brutality in England's Belmarsh prison for the past eight months. In that time he has been strip-searched 96 times. In the latest in a long series of vindictive attacks by prison staff McHugh was handcuffed, beaten then dragged along the ground before being left in an Old Bailey cell where he is currently on trial. He had to be treated by a doctor and was unable to attend the court that day.
The latest attack occurred on Monday 3 November when a prison officer who has been particularly vindictive towards McHugh and who has been refusing him phone calls tried to handcuff him after the first strip-search on the way to court. Claiming McHugh's handcuffs were too loose he put an insert in and tried for two minutes to force them closed. He then took them off to try a different angle. McHugh said that if he was not going to cuff him in the same way as every other prisoner does then he could put him back in his cell.
At this point six prison officers wrestled McHugh to the ground and kicked and punched him. They carried him to a cubicle in the van. He was left with his hands cuffed behind his back for the journey to court. On arrival he was dragged from the van, his wrists badly swollen and bleeding at this stage, and thrown face down in the cells underneath the Old Bailey.
As a result of McHugh's injuries his solicitor demanded a doctor attend him. He was unable to appear in court that morning. In the evening when he asked to go up, the prison officers again produced handcuffs, which were too small, in order to handcuff him up the stairs but he was unable to wear them because of the pain of the tight metal on the raw, swollen skin. The judge later ordered that he should be cuffed in the same way that he had been in the first two weeks of the trial..
The latest attack occurred on Monday 3 November when a prison officer who has been particularly vindictive towards McHugh and who has been refusing him phone calls tried to handcuff him after the first strip-search on the way to court. Claiming McHugh's handcuffs were too loose he put an insert in and tried for two minutes to force them closed. He then took them off to try a different angle. McHugh said that if he was not going to cuff him in the same way as every other prisoner does then he could put him back in his cell.
At this point six prison officers wrestled McHugh to the ground and kicked and punched him. They carried him to a cubicle in the van. He was left with his hands cuffed behind his back for the journey to court. On arrival he was dragged from the van, his wrists badly swollen and bleeding at this stage, and thrown face down in the cells underneath the Old Bailey.
As a result of McHugh's injuries his solicitor demanded a doctor attend him. He was unable to appear in court that morning. In the evening when he asked to go up, the prison officers again produced handcuffs, which were too small, in order to handcuff him up the stairs but he was unable to wear them because of the pain of the tight metal on the raw, swollen skin. The judge later ordered that he should be cuffed in the same way that he had been in the first two weeks of the trial..