A lawyer has called on an inquiry to take “fundamental action” and a “different approach” following the abuse of detainees at Brook House.

The inquiry into mistreatment at the immigration removal centre near Gatwick Airport follows investigations triggered by Panorama in 2017.
In a closing speech, Stephanie Harrison QC said the evidence was “chilling” and attitudes of officers “disconcerting”.
The Home Office said it has improved the immigration detention system.

Ms Harrison was addressing institutional failures and other issues on behalf of a number of former detainees.
She said: “The Panorama programme was not the end or the limits of the abuse.
“This inquiry has uncovered shocking patterns of inhumane and degrading treatment of detained persons… the overuse and misuse of force, and segregation.”

A macho aggressive attitude “dominated” Brook House, and the infliction of pain, suffering and humiliation was “normalised”, she said.
Officers were also verbally “pervasive, violent, and derogatory” to detainees, the inquiry heard.
“It has been disconcerting to listen to custody officers who maintain patently untrue accounts or claim no memory in the face of incontrovertible evidence of misconduct,” she said.

Several of these officers still work at Brook House, and some have been promoted, the inquiry heard.

Ms Harrison also criticised the “oblivious” attitude of senior Home Office officials, and called it a state body “driven by political imperatives to sacrifice welfare for… administrative convenience”.
She said: “The wilful denial of Home Office responsibility cannot be reconciled with the evidence the inquiry has heard.
“This is important because it is the attitudes of men like these who are responsible for considering and implementing any recommendations the inquiry makes.”

The Home Office, Ms Harrison said, “puts cost cutting over safety and care”.
She called for immediate action and said the inquiry must take a “fundamentally different approach to previous failed investigations and reviews”.

Ms Harrison also called for recommendations to include changes to Home Office policy, and for Brook House not to be used as an immigration removal centre going forward.
A Home Office Spokeswoman said: “Immigration detention plays a vital role in tackling illegal migration and protecting the public from harm.
“We have made significant improvements to detention and continue to do more as it remains vital we provide safe and secure accommodation.
“It would be inappropriate to comment further whilst the inquiry is carrying out its important work.”

If you have news for Sussex and Surrey, contact us on news@susyradio.com

Lesley Offley was due to fly to Austria with her family to celebrate her husband’s 60th birthday on Tuesday.

But the 62-year-old from Surrey was told on Monday morning their Gatwick flight had been cancelled.
“We’ve spent all morning unravelling all our travel plans for my husband’s 60th birthday – first time we’ve attempted to travel since 2019 – and [I’m] completely fed up,” she told the BBC.
“It’s been phone calls and emails all day, accommodation is lot more money so we’ve lost out there and we’re still trying sort out the travel insurance.
“We’ve re-booked for next week but I don’t feel confident at all.”
On top of this, Ms Offley said they have been refused a refund on their parking booking because they cancelled less than 24 hours before they were due to park.

EasyJet said staff absences were double their normal levels due to Covid.
It said it had decided to cancel more flights in advance “in order to give customers notice”.
“We are contacting customers directly and providing them with their options,” it said.
“We expect to make similar levels of pre-emptive cancellations over the coming days, due to the ongoing high level of sickness.”

John Strickland, director of transport consultancy JLS Consulting, said the situation for airlines was going to be “very difficult” over the next couple of months.
“I think certainly the next month or two are going to be very difficult,” he told the BBC’s Wake Up To Money.
“We know that Manchester has said that passengers should expect queues for one to two hours for the next several weeks while they undertake additional training.”

According to the data firm Cirium, a total of 1,143 flights were cancelled to and from the UK in the week up to 3 April, with 382 of them grounded over the weekend.
Cirium said British Airways cancelled 662 flights to and from the UK last week, while EasyJet cancelled 357.
British Airways took the decision two weeks ago to remove some flights, mostly short-haul routes, from its schedules until May.
Aside from flight disruption, travellers hoping for an Easter getaway have also been affected by delays to the Eurotunnel and to ferry services.

If you have news for Sussex and Surrey, contact us on news@susyradio.com

Sussex Police has this month launched its annual campaign to tackle road safety issues and positively influence drivers and motorcyclists to drive responsibly, considerately, and safely.

Every weekend between April and September officers from teams across the force will take part in the dedicated operation, providing a highly visible presence on the road network in Sussex and taking enforcement action where necessary.

Using a variety of tactics including the latest technology in automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and drones, Sussex Police aims to reduce the “fatal five” factors which lead to people being killed or seriously injured on our roads.
The “fatal five” factors are: driving at inappropriate and excess speed, drink and/or drug-driving, not wearing a seatbelt, careless and anti-social driving, and being distracted while driving such as by using a mobile phone.

Chief Constable Jo Shiner said: “Last year, 46 people were killed on roads in Sussex and 934 people were seriously injured. This has a devastating impact on families, individuals, and upon our communities.
“We know that the fatal five offences are the main factors that cause serious road traffic collisions.
“A split second of inattention or poor driving can change lives forever. Everyone using the roads has a personal responsibility to keep themselves safe and not put others at risk.
“Which is why we simply will not tolerate the small minority of people who drive or ride anti-socially through the county, putting the safety of others at risk and therefore have a comprehensive plan to target those who do so.
Communities are fed up with motorists and motorcyclists behaving badly on our roads, and this poor behaviour often leads to peaceful communities being regularly disturbed. Bad behaviour on the roads often indicates other criminality.
“So cracking down on those that use our roads to peddle drugs, transport vulnerable people or facilitate other crime will also be a priority in our campaign.
“We can’t be everywhere, but we could be anywhere, and with an increased number of officers, better equipment, and more intelligence, those intent on driving dangerously can assume we are not far away.”

A recent example includes the conviction of Giacomino Morrone, 24, of London Road, Burgess Hill, who was seen performing a wheelie in front of a convoy of unmarked police vehicles in Brighton.
Footage shows him riding at excess speed, reaching 80mph in a 20mph limit, riding through red lights, and reaching 107mph on the A27 in order to evade the police.

Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne said: “We have an extensive but mainly rural roads network across Sussex with lots of minor roads. If we want to make them safer for everyone, we must recognise the dangers of all kinds of anti-social and careless driving.
“There is still a minority of people who have a complete disregard for other drivers, cyclists, horse riders and pedestrians. Last year, nearly 20 people were killed or seriously injured every week on our Sussex roads.
“The consequences of being distracted behind the wheel can be life-changing for those directly involved in collisions and their families and friends. They also take their toll on the mental well-being of our emergency services who are called out to attend.
“Operation Downsway will see more visible and more vigorous police enforcement which will ensure that those who drive dangerously and act recklessly behind the wheel, will be identified, caught and prosecuted.”

Partnership working is integral to delivering long-term road safety and so the force will also be working with agencies including the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership (SSRP), the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner, Community Speed Watch groups and Operation Crackdown.
Casualty Reduction officers, and Mobile Speed Enforcement Vans will also be supporting enforcement activity and helping to identify key areas to target.
By working together, we can minimise the risk of deaths and injuries on the roads across Sussex.

If you have news for Sussex and Surrey, contact us on news@susyradio.com