Bristol Prison Race Failings Led to Attack on Muslim Inmate

Serious failings in the handling of race and diversity at a Bristol prison led to a devastating attack on a black Muslim by a fellow inmate who had previously told guards he would only share a cell with a white person, a report has found. Mohamed Sharif, 43, of Somali heritage, was left so severely brain-damaged by the attack at HMP Bristol that he needs round-the-clock care and supervision. An independent report commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and published on Wednesday – six years after the incident took place – finds that despite some commendable efforts to engage with the Somali community, insufficient priority was given by the prison to addressing racism, inadequate risk assessments were carried out and the unit was poorly managed.

Rob Allen, the author of the report, has made 54 findings and 31 recommendations, and called for additional scrutiny through an independent public hearing. Sharif was on remand following an arrest for common assault in June 2014 when the attack happened. Another inmate, Ryan Guest, who had previously told prison officers he would only share a cell with a white person who was not homosexual – a racist and homophobic remark that was not explored by prison officers – attacked Sharif during an unsupervised session in the prison exercise yard on 26 June 2014. After Guest kicked Sharif and forced him to the ground he repeatedly stamped on his head.Guest was in prison after being charged with the murder of his step-grandmother in a care home outside Bristol. He pleaded guilty to this charge and to the charge of attempted murder of Sharif and was detained in Broadmoor in December 2014 following a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia.

Sharif’s sister-in-law, Ugaso Dahir,said Sharif and the family were still waiting for justice. “The long delay in receiving today’s report has made everything so much worse,” said Dahir. “We are black and we are Muslim. I don’t think this would have happened to a white person. We are too sad about everything that happened to Mohamed. Our hearts are broken. Mohamed is not dead but it is as if he is dead. He has no life. We thought he would be safe in prison but we were wrong.”

Read more: Diane Taylor, Guardian, https://is.gd/lKg3IX