Freezing Prisoner Left to Suffer in Segregation Without Heating at Holme House
The girlfriend of a prisoner has made shocking claims that her partner is being left freezing and “stuck in segregation with no heating” at HMP Holme House in Stockton. Natalie Hannan, 33, says her boyfriend, 36-year-old Amar Magid, has been crying on the phone due to the extreme cold in his segregation unit, as the heating is reportedly not functioning. She alleges that he has been denied access to his jumpers and warm socks.
“The heating on his segregation wing is broken. He’s so cold, he says he can’t feel his feet,” Hannan said, expressing her deep concern for her partner. She continued, “He’s got a t-shirt and a jacket. They won’t let him have his jumpers or fleeces – they’re in a prop box. His possessions were packaged up and he was moved”, reports Teesside Live.
Hannan claims Magid is trapped in the freezing segregation unit, where she says radiators on one side of the block aren’t working. She also reported that despite his requests, prison authorities refused to return his warm clothing.
“The radiators on one side of the segregation block aren’t working. They shouldn’t be using the cells,” she added, detailing her desperate attempts to get help for Magid. Hannan shared that he had even cried to her over the phone due to the unbearable cold.
Magid, who is not scheduled for release until December 2023, was transferred to the segregation unit on January 3 after officers allegedly found drugs in his cell. Hannan described her emotional distress as she recounted the situation, explaining how one prison officer had noticed how cold it was in his cell and provided him with an extra blanket, but it did little to ease his suffering. “The prison blankets are thin. He’s ringing me and he’s just crying because he’s so cold,” she said.
A spokesperson for the Prison Service responded to the claims, stating, “Segregation units are a safety measure used to maintain good order. The heating is being repaired promptly and additional clothing and blankets have been provided to all prisoners within the unit.”
Magid, originally from Berwick Hills in Middlesbrough, was sentenced to three years and four months in August 2022 for his involvement in storing narcotics. Authorities discovered £40,000 worth of heroin hidden in a dog kennel during a raid on a property in Darlington in 2021.