The girlfriend of a prisoner claims her partner has been left freezing and ‘stuck in segregation with no heating’.
Natalie Hannan alleges her boyfriend Amar Magid, 36, has been crying down the phone due to the extreme cold in the segregation unit at HMP Holme House prison, Stockton, as the heating is not functioning. She claims he has been denied access to his jumpers and warm socks.
However, prison authorities state that all inmates have been supplied with additional blankets as they work to address the heating problem “promptly”. It comes as Teesside and the rest of the country experience sub-zero temperatures due to a wintry weather spell.
Ms Hannan, 33, said: “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. He’s stuck in segregation with no heating. He’s asked for the fleeces and some of his socks but they won’t give him them,” reports Teesside Live.
“The heating on his segregation wing is broken. He’s so cold, he says he can’t feel his feet.”
(Image: UGC)
She added: “The radiators on one side of the segregation block aren’t working. They shouldn’t be using the cells.”
Ms Hannan expresses deep concern for her partner, who she started dating after meeting on Snapchat, 15 months ago. She said Magid was transferred from a regular wing of the prison to the segregation unit after his cell was searched on January 3, and officers allegedly discovered drugs.
Ms Hannan from Middlesbrough was visibly upset as she recounted her desperate appeals to prison staff for assistance with Magid, who isn’t scheduled for release until December 16 this year.
“One of them went into his cell and realised how cold it is,” she alleges. “She gave him another blanket, but the prison blankets are thin. He’s ringing me and he’s just crying because he’s so cold.”
Responding to these claims, a spokesperson for the Prison Service said: “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, from Berwick Hills in Middlesbrough, was sentenced to three years and four months in August 2022 for his role in “warehousing” narcotics. In a raid at a property in Darlington in October 2021, authorities discovered £40,000 worth of heroin hidden inside a dog kennel.
Magid admitted he had taken on the storage of drugs after falling into debt. He disclosed that a dealer, who he fears too much to identify, suggested erasing some of Magid’s debts if he agreed to keep the heroin.
(Image: Natalie Hannan)
Following his prison term, which ended in April 2023, Magid found himself back behind bars for violating the terms of his release.
In November of the previous year, Magid was slapped with a £200 fine due to his two pit bull terriers – a prohibited breed. One of the dogs, named Coco, was deemed dangerously out of control while on a Middlesbrough street in 2023.
Coco was considered a threat to public safety and was consequently put down. Both Coco and Kilo – the second pit bull terrier – were found in a public place without a muzzle or lead.
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