Asylum seeker found dead on Bibby Stockholm after 'shouting in cabin' is named

18 December 2023 , 10:33

1054     0

Leonard Farruku died on the Bibby Stockholm barge

The asylum seeker who died on Bibby Stockholm after being treated "like an animal" has been named today as Leonard Farruku.

The 27-year-old was discovered dead after "shouting and banging" was heard from his cabin at the barge, moored in Portland, Dorset. Mr Farruku is the second Albanian man to die in the space of a few weeks while in the care of the Home Office following the passing of Alfred Dosku, 37, in November.

Other asylum seekers on the boat said Mr Farruku appeared to be in a state of distress shortly before he died. The Home Office says it will support the police and coroner's investigation into the young man's death.

The death has caused huge distress among those on - and off - the barge moored in Dorset (Getty Images)

Mr Farruku's sister Jola Dushku, 33, blasted the way guards were allegedly treating those on the barge. Speaking from her home in Lombardy, Italy, Ms Dushku told Telegraph: "When I spoke with him last time, he told me that the conditions in that boat were not bad but they were treated by the guards like animals."

The publication reports Mr Farruku paid €4,000 (£3,436) to cross the English Channel in a small boat last summer. There are now understood to be 300 male asylum seekers currently housed on the barge.

Teachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade

The Home Office has frequently cited what it describes as its “landmark joint communique” with Albania signed on December 13, 2022 to expedite removals of Albanian nationals it says are in the UK illegally back to their home country. However, Bibby Stockholm has been blighted by problems since it was docked at Portland in July, including a series of health and safety issues.

And it's believed Mr Farruku's death has caused significant distress among the hundreds of other asylum seekers on Bibby Stockholm. Ms Dushku added: "I will find peace in my mind only when I will find the truth of what happened that night in Bibby Stockholm."

The Tories refused to evacuate the barge despite the tragic death (PA)

The Home Office has admitted that the vessel has cost taxpayers more than £22million so far. The £41,000-a-day bill relates only to the leasing of the vessel, with the cost of the berthing, security and extra support for the local council coming on top.

A Home Office spokesman 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 our responsibility for their wellbeing incredibly seriously. This will now be investigated by the police and coroner. It is right that the facts and circumstances surrounding this death are established."

The Samaritans is available 24/7 if you need to talk. You can contact them for free by calling 116 123, email [email protected] or head to the website to find your nearest branch. You matter.

Bradley Jolly