Torture victim suffering from seizures had a rough time

An asylum seeker who suffered from severe epilepsy after being tortured in his home country was left to sleep rough after his local authority caseworker went on leave.

The Local Government Ombudsman has ordered Waltham Forest Council to pay compensation and legal costs as well as send a letter of apology, after reviewing the case.

The ombudsman heard that the man, who was in his twenties, had fled Eritrea after being held and tortured by soldiers. His treatment had left him suffering from daily epileptic seizures as well as clinical depression and post traumatic stress.

Initially he sayed at accommodation provided by the National Asylum Support Service, but after being granted leave to remain in the UK they could no longer pay for him to be housed.
When the man, who the report refers to as 'Mr Temtemie', was interviewed by a council caseworker she failed to use an interpreter and booked him into a local hostal.

However, after one day the hostel told the council they could not house Mr Temtemie due to his medical problems. When he returned to the council his caseworker was on leave and he was handed a list of churches that operated night shelters.

Despite him returning to the council three times in a week for help the council made no effort to find him accommodation. Instead he was left to sleep in bus stations or use winter shelters.

The ombudsan Mr Temtemie also heard that when the case was heard by the council's vulnerability panel his doctor was not invited. Despite strong written medical evidence they ruled he was not vulnerable.

An appeal was abandoned after he was offered a six-month lease at a young person's housing project. He has now been rehoused by the council.

The ombudsman ruled that the council breached its duty in failing to priovide temporary accommodation, had failed to explain why it disregarded medical evidence, failed to use interpreters in interviews and did not properly andle complaints made by Mr Temtemie's solicitor.
The council was ordered to pay £7,200 in compensation, plus legal costs, as well as sending a letter of apology and arranging for housing staff to receive a talk on the needs of torture victims.
A spokesperson for the council said: 'The council apologises unreservedly to Mr Temtemie for our failure to provide him with the quality of service that he deserved.

'Since 2003, the time this complaint referred to, the Council has made a number of improvements to the Homelessness Service.

'We are confident that any client, especially those as vulnerable as Mr Temtemie, would now receive a much better service.

'Not only have we improved our systems - from clear protocols with hostels to better record-keeping at reception areas - but staff have undergone a wide range of training to improve how they deal with customers with language and other issues.'

The council also insists that it did provide emergency accommodation to Mr Temtemie for two nights.