The family of a man believed to have killed himself on the controversial Bibby Stockholm barge in Portland, Dorset, say they have had to turn to crowdfunding to bring him back to Albania for burial.
Leonard Farruku, 27, was found unresponsive onboard the vessel commissioned by the Home Office to accommodate up to 500 asylum seekers at Portland Port, Dorset, on 12 December.
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.”
Dushku said she believed that had her brother not been placed on the barge he would still be alive today. “If my brother wasn’t put in that boat he was going to have a life ahead of him of normality and peace. Such tragedy could not have happened if he was not put there,” she said.
During a brief inquest opening at the end of last year, the senior coroner, Rachael Griffin, said there were not thought to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and asked the Home Office and other authorities to provide written statements about the death within six weeks.
Several people onboard the barge, which is moored in Portland, Dorset, said Farruku had appeared to be in a state of distress shortly before he died, shouting and banging on the wall of his cabin.
After Farruku’s death, more than 60 charities including Refugee Action, Refugee Council, Care4Calais and Refugees at Home demanded the immediate closure of the Bibby Stockholm in a letter to the Guardian.
Deborah Coles, director of the charity Inquest, which supports families who have lost loved ones in state-related deaths, raised concerns about the case. She said: “The Home Office was warned about the negative impact the barge would have on the mental and physical health of those placed on it but has continued to accommodate people there. Inquest asked the Home Office to contribute to the cost of repatriating Leonard’s body but officials refused. That is appalling, given that he was in the care of the Home Office at the time of his death. This decision lacks humanity.”
Farruku’s family said they were not aware that he had any mental health issues before he was placed on the barge. They are calling for a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
They set up a crowdfunding page on 28 December last year, posting as part of their appeal for funds: “Our brother Leonard Farruku’s life ended unimaginably for all of us while in the UK … Leonard’s body has been in the Dorset morgue since his death on 12 December 2023. 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.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “This was a tragic incident and our thoughts are with everyone affected. The welfare of all those in our care is of the utmost importance and we take this responsibility very seriously.”
In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counsellor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
