bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

The Guardian

A man is suing the prison service after he developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from rats running across his body and bed while he was locked in his cell.
The 71-year-old was serving a short sentence at Wormwood Scrubs prison in west London after being convicted of a benefits offence which he insists he did not commit.

As a result of the rodents’ constant presence, he began to have vivid and terrifying nightmares, was diagnosed with depression and developed a skin rash and symptoms of PTSD.
The case has come to light the week after a damning report into HMP Bedford found the rat problem there was so bad one prisoner was seen catching and killing rats in his cell during an inspection.
The report, published on Tuesday, found that pest control work failed to eradicate a significant infestation of the rodents at HMP Bedford.
British private prisons in spotlight after takeover of G4S-run ‘crisis’ jail
When the pensioner at Wormwood Scrubs began to serve his time, one prison officer described the place as a “rathole” to him, while another told him the wing he had been assigned to was “worse than Beirut”.

The rat problem at the prison appears to be long-standing. A 2015 report into conditions at the jail by HM Inspectorate of Prisons referred to the issue thus: “The prison had a significant rat problem. We saw them every day and night we visited the prison and a large rats’ nest was very obvious in the grounds,” inspectors stated.
There is not a day that goes by when I’m not looking at the walls to see if I can see rats running up and down them
Former inmate
The man’s first encounter with the rats was the day after he arrived, when one came and sat on his feet while he was reading a newspaper in his cell. After that he saw rats many times: running up and down the walls, running across his bed, and getting in and out through the broken window of his cell.
“My cellmate used to eat smoky bacon crisps, and when he dropped a packet on the floor, the rats would get into the packets and finish off the crisps. They were so tame, they weren’t scared of humans at all,” he said.
The problem was made worse by the fact that he was usually locked in his cell for 23 hours on weekdays and permanently over the weekends, meaning there was no escape from the rats.
He said rodents were also found in the servery area where prisoners got their food. “You should have heard the sound of so many grown men screaming when a rat jumped out of a sack of potatoes,” he said.
The man’s lawyer, Jane Ryan at Bhatt Murphy Solicitors, is bringing a claim against the Ministry of Justice on his behalf for a variety of issues, including a breach of his human rights and of the Equality Act, and for negligence.
She said the appalling living conditions had a devastating impact on the pensioner.
“Living conditions in prisons should be humane for the benefit of staff and prisoners,” said Ryan.
Although the man has now been released from prison, he says he is haunted by fear of rats.
UK prisons ban Christmas cards made with glue and glitter as part of ‘robust drug strategy’
“There is not a day that goes by when I’m not looking at the walls to see if I can see rats running up and down them,” he said. “I’m getting a lot of anxiety attacks and I can’t sleep at night. I make sure I always keep my windows closed. Whenever I complained about the rats while I was in prison, the prison officers said to me: ‘This isn’t a hotel, you know. You’re here to be punished.’”
A Prison Service spokesperson said: “It would be inappropriate to comment on ongoing legal proceedings.”


How Hong Kong can map a path forward for mandatory reporting of child abuse

UK rushes air defence systems to Gulf to help counter Iran attacks

London police investigate attack on Jewish ambulances as hate crime

Drivers in China rush to fill petrol tanks ahead of biggest price hike this year

Britain

Man sues UK government after ‘getting PTSD from rats’ in prison

A file photo of a brown rat. Photo: Alamy Stock Photo

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron is escorted by prison governor Phil Taylor (R), during his visit to Wormwood Scrubs Prison in west London on October 22, 2012. British Prime Minister David Cameron called for a "tough but intelligent" approach to law and order, advocating a combination of tough prison sentences and lighter rehabilitation methods. AFP PHOTO/POOL/PAUL HACKETT (Photo by PAUL HACKETT / POOL / AFP)

Prison officers stage a protest walkout outside Wormwood Scrubs Prison in London, Britain, September 14, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

UK prison officers return to work after protest against jail violence

Prison officers staging a protest walkout outside Wormwood Scrubs Prison in London on September 14, 2018. Photo: Reuters

A prison officer stands outside Wormwood Scrubs Prison during a walk out protest in London, Britain, September 14, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

Prison officers protest over violence and safety concerns outside Nottingham Prison, Britain September 14, 2018. REUTERS/Darren Staples

News

World

Europe

He said he developed the disorder from rodents crawling on his body at night
Short-term detainee was told by other inmates the prison was a ‘rathole’ and ‘worse than Beirut’


He said he developed the disorder from rodents crawling on his body at night. The short-term detainee was told by other inmates the prison was a ‘rathole’ and ‘worse than Beirut’.


Man sues UK government after ‘getting PTSD from rats’ in prison

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}He said he developed the disorder from rodents crawling on his body at night Short-term detainee was told by other inmates the prison was a ‘rathole’ and ‘worse than Beirut’

He said he developed the disorder from rodents crawling on his body at night

Short-term detainee was told by other inmates the prison was a ‘rathole’ and ‘worse than Beirut’