the times | Monday June 29 2020 2GM 19
News
TOM NICHOLSON/LNPThe Sudanese man shot dead by police
after stabbing six people in a Glasgow
hotel had been referred to the Home
Office on the morning of the rampage.
Badreddin Abadlla Adam, 28,
attacked PC David Whyte, 42, two
hotel staff and three other asylum seek-
ers at the Park Inn in Glasgow city
centre on Friday. All remain in hospital.
Whitehall sources told The Times
that Adam’s name was referred to the
Home Office’s safeguarding hub on the
morning of the attack. Under the gov-
ernment’s policy that would then have
been sent to Mears, the company with
responsibility for housing asylum seek-
ers in Scotland, to consider.
It has also emerged that senior MPs
were warned that asylum seekers
housed in the city’s hotels were suffer-
ing from “psychological distress” weeks
before the attack.
Fellow residents had told support
staff that Adam had become mentally
unstable and was making specific
threats of violence but their warnings
went unheeded.
Another Sudanese man who knew
Adam claimed his state of mind had
worsened significantly after he was
confined to his small room for the
past month.
The mental wellbeing of asylum
seekers in Glasgow was raised at
Westminster’s home affairs com-
mittee less than four weeks
ago. Hundreds were evict-
ed from their lodgings
and taken to hotels
throughout the city as
part of the response to
Covid-19. MPs were
warned that over-
crowding, shared
rooms, indoor con-
Officials alerted
to asylum seeker
risk before attack
finement and a lack of mental health
support were posing a significant risk to
the health of asylum seekers in Glas-
gow.
A submission by Just Right Scotland,
a group of human rights lawyers, on
June 3 said: “Asylum seekers have been
moved by Mears Group from flats to
hotel accommodation, with all finan-
cial support stopped. Principal con-
cerns include psychological distress.
“Earlier this month a 30-year-old
Syrian man was found dead in his room
at the McLays guest house in Glasgow.
Friends claim he suffered mental dis-
tress and reported having flashbacks.”
Residents and support workers claim
Adam became increasingly paranoid
and had threatened to stab others the
day before he went on the rampage.
One support worker said: “He told
other residents he was going crazy and
couldn’t take it any more.
“He said he needed help, that he was
going to attack someone. The residents
called reception to warn them the night
before it happened.”
Almadi, a fellow Sudanese, told
Adam’s parents of the attack. He said
they were shocked and hoped the vic-
tims made full recoveries quickly.
“When he came here [to the UK] he was
already suffering from mental health
problems and had other health
issues,” Almadi, who did not give
his surname, told Sky News. “He
had been complaining about the
situation at the hotel. He was so
sad and wanted to be moved.”
Priti Patel, the home sec-
retary, said: “Accom-
modation has been allo-
cated in this particular
way because of the
Covid-19 crisis, so of
course, we constantly
review the methods
around asylum, the
accommodation, the
provision, the support,
all of which is in line with
the law.”Richard Ford, Marc Horne
Kieran Andrews
Give us a wave Kitesurfers make the most of a stiff breeze at Watergate Bay near Newquay in Cornwall. Weather, page 47Badreddin Abadlla
Adam was shot dead
after stabbing six people
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