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‘Everyone was trying to kill himself’: Suicide attempts rising at asylum seeker site Wethersfield
ITV News' Deputy Political Editor Anushka Asthana investigates reports of asylum seekers' worsening mental health at RAF Wethersfield.
Words by ITV News Westminster Producer Maya Bowles and Deputy Political Editor Anushka Asthana
Some readers may find the details in this report distressing
Charities have warned of a “mental health crisis” among asylum seekers housed at RAF Wethersfield, with incidents of suicide attempts and self-harm at the site rising.
There were between five and 10 suicide attempts and 10 incidents of self-harm in January 2024 alone at the site in Essex - the highest since the site opened in July 2023 - according to data exclusively given to ITV News by the Helen Bamber Foundation and Doctors of the World.
But Home Secretary James Cleverly said people weren't telling the truth about their mental state.
Responding to ITV News' findings, Mr Cleverly said: “The simple truth is, often when people come to this country illegally they do lie to further their own causes.”
Wethersfield is one of a number of mass accommodation sites being used alongside hotels to house asylum seekers. They’re particularly controversial because of their remote locations, and the fact they’re removed from local communities.
RAF Wethersfield and the Bibby Stockholm barge in Dorset have been operating since last summer. In December last year, asylum seeker Leonard Farruku was found dead on the Bibby Stockholm and there were no suspicious circumstances. Another former RAF base in Scampton is yet to open, along with former student accommodation in Huddersfield.
RAF Wethersfield only accommodates men, most of whom have come to the UK on small boats. The 580 men currently at the site are stuck in limbo, as the government’s new Illegal Migration Act means the Home Office won’t consider the claims of those who arrive in the UK via small boats.
ITV News spoke to one asylum seeker who spent over six months at Wethersfield before being removed because of his deteriorating mental health.
The 25-year-old man, who asked to remain anonymous and we are calling Ali, came over to the UK in a small boat in September 2023 after fleeing the Taliban in Afghanistan. He left after the Taliban shot him and killed his brother.
Ali described the moment he arrived at Wethersfield: “I was thinking we’re in prison, we’re coming to the prison. What did we do wrong?”.
He told ITV News about how his mental health had worsened while he was at the site. After never having any previous mental health issues, he was diagnosed with depression at Wethersfield, and even tried to take his own life.
Ali said he ended up in hospital after he jumped from a window.
“I tried because I was very depressed," he said.
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He also told ITV News about how he saw a number of people self-harming and attempting suicide: “Everyone was trying to kill himself… I saw people jump from everywhere in the camp, from windows, from the buildings.”
He said he witnessed abuse by security guards at the site, with staff frequently telling him and others to “F*** off” and “go back to your country".
ITV News has also seen video evidence of poor conditions inside the site - security guards swearing at residents, fights breaking out between rival groups in the camp, people desperately trying to throw themselves off buildings, and the sound of gunshots heard at a clay pigeon shooting range next to the site.
The costs of the Wethersfield site have also spiralled, with a recent report from the spending watchdog showing the accommodation is costing 10 times more than originally planned.
The National Audit Office (NAO) said the Home Office originally estimated set-up costs at RAF Wethersfield would be £5 million, but they increased to £49 million.
The report also said there had been 283 incidents relating to “self-harm and suicide” at large sites like Wethersfield by the end of January 2024.
Three days a week a medical van operated by charity Doctors of the World parks up outside Wethersfield to treat residents. While there are medical services inside, charities say they don’t provide adequate care for the vulnerable asylum seekers living at the site.
A survey of 122 patients revealed 70% were presenting with severe psychological distress and 41% were experiencing suicidal thoughts.
Clinical Director Becks Kerr said “if you put people in a place like this, you’re asking for a mental health crisis”.
“Anyone deserves to be treated with dignity and humanity, in particular people coming to this country with experience of violence and trauma," she said.
The use of the site is even being challenged in the courts.
Law firm Duncan Lewis is bringing a case against the Home Office which says they have failed to properly assess whether vulnerable people should be living at Wethersfield.
ITV News spoke exclusively to barrister Shalini Patel who says the site is like a “detention centre”, equating to “false imprisonment”.
Ms Patel said she feels “extremely worried” about the conditions inside Wethersfield.
“There seems to be a huge failure by the Home Office to undertake risk and safeguarding measures… The Home Office’s policy very clearly states victims of torture, victims of trafficking, anyone with mental health or physical disabilities should not be accommodated at the site, yet we have been instructed by tens of individuals, and none of them are suitable to be accommodated there," she said.
Doctors of the World said 74% of the people in Wethersfield are too vulnerable to be living there.
Charities are calling for sites like Wethersfield to be closed.
Medical Director at the Helen Bamber Foundation Cornelius Katona said they are "unsuitable for traumatised people".
"I would also invoke a very simple medical principle which is ‘first do no harm’ - these sites are doing harm,” she said.
When we put our findings to Home Secretary James Cleverly, he rejected them, saying they “do not align with the reports the department have been receiving”.
“Of course the people in Wethersfield often say things they hope will have them relocated”, he said.
He continued by saying: “We take conditions at all our facilities incredibly seriously, we want to make sure they’re safe. And of course what we want to do is make sure we no longer need sites like Wethersfield, that’s why we’ve committed to crack down on immigration.”
Figures released last week showed a record 10,170 people have arrived in the UK so far this year after crossing the Channel in small boats, according to Home Office data.
That’s despite Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s pledge to “stop the boats”, which forms a core part of his election campaign as voters prepare to go to the polls on July 4.
The Home Office said: “We take the safety and welfare of those at Wethersfield extremely seriously.
“Welfare officers are on site round the clock and all residents have access to a GP service delivered by a local healthcare provider including mental health support. A 24/7 helpline provided by Migrant Help is available to raise any concerns.”
Security firm Lead Element, who are contracted to provide security in the site, did not respond to ITV News’ requests for comment.
How to get help if you have been affected by the issues mentioned in this article:
Doctors of the World advice line - 08081647686
CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) - Helpline: 0800 58 58 58
MIND provides advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. Information line: 0300 123 3393
Samaritans is an organisation offering confidential support for people experiencing feelings of distress or despair. Phone 116 123 (a free 24 hour helpline).
Shout is a 24/7 text service, free on all major mobile networks, for anyone struggling to cope and in need of immediate help. Text SHOUT to 85258.
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