Reading the news of a death at Brook House (Man dies in detention at immigration removal centre near Gatwick airport, 28 October), I couldn’t help but think of the many people I met while I was detained there who had no voice or support, and were fading into oblivion. So many lives have been destroyed by detention.
My time spent in Brook House was a nightmare. The conditions were horrendous in every aspect of the word. People were swallowing razor blades in front of me in desperation. I became desensitised to the violence I saw every day and the constant suicide attempts that I witnessed, which became normalised throughout the day. Someone I played dominoes with tried to hang themselves above me while I was eating breakfast.
