Home Office refuses to return Bibby Stockholm migrant body

THE Home Office has refused to pay for the repatriation of the body of an Albanian asylum seeker suspected of taking his own life on the Bibby Stockholm barge.

His family said they were living a “double tragedy” as they could not afford to bring his body back to his native Albania after he is believed to have taken his life on the barge in Portland Port, Dorset, on December 12.

Leonard Farruku, 27, who paid €4,000 (£3,436) to cross the Channel in a small boat last summer, was found dead after complaining about his mental health. He had been heard shouting and banging on the wall of his shared cabin, according to other migrants.

An inquest opened by Dorset coroner Rachael Griffin heard that a post-mortem examination found he had died from “compression of the neck” caused by “suspension by ligature”. The hearing last month was told there were no suspicious circumstances and the case was adjourned for a full hearing to be held at a later date.

The Home Office told the family it would not cover the cost of repatriating the body because he had not died in detained facilities.

“This does not, however, apply to deaths that occur in non-detained settings, such as asylum accommodation, and so whilst I appreciate the family’s desire to make planning arrangements, the question of covering costs is not a matter for the Home Office to consider,” it told the family.

Farruku’s family have now set up a Gofundme page to raise £10,000 to repatriate the 27-year-old’s body, which remains in a Dorset morgue. By Monday afternoon, it had raised £550.

His sister, Jola Dushku, said: “It was a tragedy we lost a brother in such circumstances but we are now facing a double tragedy with not being able to have his body back home to have the funeral ceremony. We don’t know how long it will take for the money to be raised.”

She added in a statement on the fundraising page: “Our brother Leonard Farruku’s life ended unimaginably for all of us while in the UK. We kindly ask for help to raise funds to have Leonard’s body returned from the UK back home to Albania to rest in peace. With thanks and appreciation. Jola, Leonard’s sister.”

James Cleverly, the Home Secretary, previously said Farruku’s sudden death would be “fully” investigated.

Ms Dushku, 33, who lives in Lombardy in Italy, previously told The Daily Telegraph: “When I spoke with him last time, he told me that the conditions in that boat were not bad but they were treated by the guards like animals.”

An impact assessment, which found the policy of housing asylum seekers on the Bibby Stockholm barge discriminated on the grounds of age and sex, was deleted from the Government’s website last month, two days after being published. A note on the website said it was “published in error”.

The assessment found the policy of housing up to 500 single men on the barge was “directly discriminating in relation to age (and) sex” as the barge was only suitable for men aged 18 to 65.

The assessment argued that the greater need to house male asylum seekers within that age range in accommodation other than hotels justified discriminating on the grounds of age and sex.

‘We are now facing a double tragedy with not being able to have his body home to have the funeral’