Allegations of racial abuse at Feltham ignored, inquiry told

Allegations of racism at the time of Zahid Mubarek’s
murder at Feltham Young Offender Institution were ignored because
staff were naïve about racial issues, the inquiry into the
Asian teenager’s death heard today, writes Clare
Jerrom.

The former deputy governor of Feltham YOI Peter Windsor said
that when black and Asian prisoners called someone a racist it was
often treated as a form of abuse.

Windsor’s written statement read: “It was not
uncommon for black prisoners to allege that other prisoners were
racists, this was intended to be, and taken as an
insult.”

Windsor told the inquiry: “We as a service, I think, were
naïve on racial issues. We, I suppose, categorised racial
language the same as any other abuse.”

Adviser to the inquiry and chief executive of UNLOCK Bobby
Cummines said he was concerned that many racial incidents occurred
and it was merely treated as insulting and therefore these
allegations were not investigated. Windsor agreed that this could
have happened on many occasions.

Mubarek was murdered by Robert Stewart, a racist, at Feltham YOI
in 2000.

The inquiry continues.

Backgrounder on the Zahid Mubarek inquiry