London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Men bring court claim against Home Office over Glasgow hotel stabbings

Men bring court claim against Home Office over Glasgow hotel stabbings

Attacker’s mental health said to have deteriorated when he was moved to hotel with 320 other asylum seekers

Two asylum seekers caught up in a mass stabbing attack at a Glasgow hotel have issued a high court claim against the Home Office and their accommodation provider, the Guardian has learned.

The men, one of whom said he reported concerns about the attacker to hotel management the night before the stabbings, are also calling for an independent investigation.

On 26 June 2020, Badreddin Abadlla Adam, a 28-year-old asylum seeker from Sudan, stabbed six people including a police officer at the Park Inn hotel in Glasgow before police shot him dead.

One of the two asylum seekers now bringing a challenge lost his spleen in the attack and is on lifelong medication as a result. His asylum claim was refused in July this year and he is appealing against the decision.

The other had supported Adam as he witnessed his mental health deteriorate after he was moved, along with 320 other asylum seekers, from self-contained accommodation into hotels at the start of the pandemic.

On the evening before the attack, Adam told him that he wanted to stab people, he said. The asylum seeker reported this to hotel management and said he believed the threat was credible. The next day he was woken by the sound of the fire alarm and when he opened his bedroom door he saw people lying on the ground in pools of blood. This man is awaiting a decision on his asylum claim.

Both men say they do not blame Adam for the attack because his mental health had declined sharply. But they expressed serious concerns about alleged failings by the Home Office and the housing contractor Mears.

Badreddin Abadlla Adam.


The evidence provided to the high court shows how tensions at the Park Inn hotel built before the attack.

Many asylum seekers experienced worsening mental health. Some reported feeling dehumanised by their treatment and said if they raised concerns about mental health they were told to “open the window” or “have an orange” while others were told to return to their home country if they did not like Britain.

Witnesses to the attack said they were traumatised and some had nightmares, PTSD and flashbacks. The asylum seeker who was stabbed said he was now fearful of going out and felt abandoned by the Home Office and Mears. The second asylum seeker said they were made to feel like criminals when interviewed by police.

He told the Guardian: “I would like to see asylum seekers getting better treatment instead of being prisoners in hotels. I really do not blame Badreddin for what he did, he was in a very bad state. I blame the Home Office and I blame Mears. They did not listen enough.”

Sheroy Zaq, of Duncan Lewis solicitors, who is bringing the high court challenge, said: “Vulnerable people continue to die whilst accommodated by the home secretary and her associated private contractors, and this will likely continue unless and until lessons are learned. All that the claimants seek, which ought to be uncontroversial, is that a lawful investigation takes place into such tragedies, as opposed to what appears to have happened to date; the home secretary marking her own homework by way of an internal and unpublished review.”

Dylan Fotoohi, of Refugees For Justice, a group founded after the attack and an interested party in the case, said: “Thousands have suffered physical and psychological damage in these hotels. This tragedy was preventable. The underlying cause is the dysfunctional and unaccountable way asylum accommodation is managed. An independent inquiry is needed so that lessons can be learned.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Following the incident at the Park Inn hotel we commissioned an internal review to assess the circumstances, in line with routine procedure, however a Scottish fatal incident investigation remains ongoing. We take the welfare of those in our care extremely seriously.”

Police Scotland assistant chief constable Steve Johnson said: “The circumstances are being independently investigated by the police investigations and review commissioner under the direction of the lord advocate, therefore we are unable to comment further.”

Mears was approached for comment.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×