After a failed asylum seeker horrifically injured her by biting her violently on her face, one female custody officer recently won a £100,000 personal injury compensation claim.
Ashford, Kent native Barbara-Ann Ennis, aged forty, suffered an assault during the transfer of a detainee at an airport in Gatwick, according to accident claim specialists familiar with the case. Detainee Sylvia Filengoshisho, being transferred from Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre, injured Ms Ennis so severely that the custody officer needed three surgical procedures to repair the damage – one of which included a skin graft.
To make matters worse, after the asylum seeker was discovered to be HIV positive, Ms Ennis had to sit through an agonising wait of six months to see if she had come down with an infection of the deadly virus. The traumatic wait to determine if she had been infected or not was described as ‘tortuous’ by the former soldier, who had spent time serving in both Iraq and Bosnia.
Ms. Fileingoshisho had bitten another immigration officer just days prior to the attack on Ms. Ennis in a similar assault. However G4s Ltd, the security firm that employed Ms Ennis, neglected to inform her of the potential danger.
A spokesperson speaking on behalf of Ms Ennis’ team of personal injury lawyers remarked that the forty year old woman’s injuries have had a crippling impact on both her professional and social life. These impacts led Ms Ennis to quit her job, the representative said, though the compensation award may offer her future some financial security.
After being incarcerated for a three year period, Ms. Fileingoshisho was then deported back to her home country.