"prison staff at Belmarsh failed to identify his risk."
The prisons watchdog has heavily criticised HMP Belmarsh after British Asian prisoner Sundeep Ghuman was murdered by his cellmate, who was a known racist.
Sundeep Ghuman, from Erith, London, was killed by fellow inmate Stevie Hilden at the maximum-security prison in Thamesmead in February 2020.
Hilden was a known racist, and prison intelligence suggested he was a member of a group called the Racist Army of Woolwich.
The attack reportedly began when Hilden became involved in a dispute between Ghuman and another prisoner over a £10 debt.
Last week, an inquest revealed that, despite Hilden being flagged on the prison system as a racist, this information was not properly considered when Sundeep Ghuman was assigned as his cellmate.
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) has now released a damning report highlighting serious failures at Belmarsh.
Chief Ombudsman Adrian Usher said: “Mr Hilden had a history of racist and violent behaviour but prison staff at Belmarsh failed to identify his risk.
“This meant that Mr Ghuman, who was a British Asian man, was placed in a cell with him.
“If prison staff had properly identified the risk, it is highly likely that Mr Ghuman’s death could have been avoided, as Mr Hilden should not have shared a cell with him.
“Mr Ghuman’s death has terrible echoes of the racist murder of Zahid Mubarek in 2000.
“I am dismayed that, despite the learning and change to have come from Mr Mubarek’s death and the subsequent inquiry, basic errors allowed for such a similar event to happen again twenty years later.”
Zahid Mubarek was a British Pakistani teenager murdered by his cellmate Robert Stewart at Feltham Young Offenders’ Institution.
Ghuman, who was jailed for arson attacks in Bexley in 2011, suffered a traumatic head injury and severe bruising across his body during Hilden’s attack on February 18, 2020.
A forensic consultant said his injuries were comparable to those commonly seen in road traffic collisions. Sundeep Ghuman died in hospital the following day.
Hilden denied murder but was found guilty by a jury in 2022 and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 17 years.
The PPO report stated: “Given what was known about Mr Hilden, it is simply not acceptable that he shared a cell with Mr Ghuman.
“We consider that Mr Ghuman’s death was preventable.”
“We have not received sufficient assurance from Belmarsh that lessons have been learnt from Mr Ghuman’s death or that any changes have been made to make the CSRA process more robust.
“We make the following recommendations: The Governor should write to the Ombudsman, setting out what action she has taken to assure herself that CSRA processes at Belmarsh are robust and consider all relevant information.
“The Head of Healthcare should establish a clear policy to ensure that healthcare staff share with prison staff any concerns expressed by prisoners about sharing cells.”
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