UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Judge finds Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Justice Secretary David Lammy violated human rights in prolonged prisoner segregation case.
As reported by The Guardian, in a legal first, Shabana Mahmood and David Lammy were found to have breached prohibitions on inhuman or degrading treatment of a prisoner held in segregation.
After an alleged attack by Hashem Abedi at HMP Frankland, Sahayb Abu was confined to his cell at HMP Woodhill for 22 hours a day and barred from contact with other inmates for over four months.
Abu, serving a life sentence for terrorism, had been held in a separation unit for high-risk or potentially radicalising inmates but was moved to stricter conditions following Abedi’s April attack.
How did the court find David Lammy and Shabana Mahmood breached human rights?
Mr Justice Sheldon found that Justice Secretary David Lammy and former secretary Shabana Mahmood violated Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights by failing to consider Sahayb Abu’s mental health before moving him.
The judge stated in his judgement,
“In the context of a prisoner who has a history of trauma and where there was a failure to obtain an assessment of his needs even though he was known to have mental health issues, and a failure to provide him with any therapeutic treatment to address his trauma, a contravention of article 3 is made out, notwithstanding the importance of the aim behind the segregation regime.”
Mr Justice Sheldon added,
“The suffering that the claimant has experienced goes way beyond the inevitable element of suffering that is connected with segregation: an otherwise legitimate form of treatment.
An individual who is segregated from others and deprived of the usual activities available to prisoners (education, work, communal prayer) will inevitably suffer isolation and an element of distress and anxiety.
What the claimant experienced was much more severe than that: he is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, brought on (at least in part) by the segregation.”
The judge clarified that the ruling does not mean the same segregation would breach Article 3 for a typical prisoner, but Abu’s history of trauma and mental health needs made him especially vulnerable.
Mr Justice Sheldon stated the court will decide at a later date whether damages are required.
According to his witness statement, Abu said the separation regime caused severe paranoia, and that during segregation his mental health collapsed to the point where he battled
“constant thoughts of suicide and self‑harm.”
How many prisoners are held in separation centres?
The judge noted that separation centres, which currently hold 12 prisoners, are under increased scrutiny amid growing concerns.
In a separate January ruling, the High Court ruled that placing Denny De Silva, who is serving a life sentence for gangland murder, in a separation centre was unlawful. The court found the decision was based on unverified allegations of radicalisation
Comments referenced in the Abu ruling, noted by Mrs Justice Hill, said,
“Research indicates that small group isolation regimes can produce serious and adverse psychological effects similar to solitary confinement.”
Earlier this month, the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law said there is “limited research” on the effectiveness of separation centres.
How many life‑sentenced prisoners are in UK jails?
According to the most recent figures from 2025, there are around 8,554 people in UK prisons serving a life sentence. This number is more than the combined life-sentenced prison populations of France, Germany, and Italy.
The number of unreleased life-sentenced prisoners alone was reported at nearly 7,491 as of March 2024. This indicates a slight increase. Life-sentenced prisoners make up more than 10% of the total sentenced prison population in Britain.