Farah Damji, 54, has four convictions for 28 offences, including multiple counts of theft, fraud, stalking and breach of a restraining order, which date back to 1995, has been in and out of prison for 25 years. Damji is trying to become the first to publicly sue the NHS over claims of bad mental health care in jail.
According to Ministry of Justice figures, more than 71% of the female prison population have mental health issues.
According to Sky, Damji has spent time in eight UK prisons, following her first six-month sentence at the notorious Rikers Island jail in New York. She was diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in 2019.
Since 2013, the NHS has been responsible for prisoners' health care in England, “Ms Damji is suing Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust over claims she was repeatedly denied mental health care at HMP Bronzefield, HMP Downview and HMP Send between 2014 and 2020,” a report said.
"Women are so reluctant to complain about anything in prison because they are too frightened of the repercussions," she told Sky News. Damji is presently living in Dublin, after fleeing her most recent trial for breaching a restraining order in March 2020, which she claims were because she suffered a breakdown.
Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust said in a statement: "While we are sympathetic towards Ms Damji, we don't accept the claims made and we are unable to comment further as legal proceedings are underway."
