Politics · United Kingdom · 16 hrs ago
High Court upholds ruling on prison medication during Ramadan
Dahir Ibrahim, a prisoner serving a life sentence, sued Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust over how he could take prescribed codeine at HMP Birmingham.
During Ramadan in 2019, the prison dispensed the painkiller only at a supervised hatch during daytime hours, when Muslims fast.
Ibrahim refused to take it then and said he suffered withdrawal symptoms.
A County Court found the policy amounted to indirect religious discrimination, and the High Court has rejected the trust’s appeal.
The judge said the trust had not considered another way to provide Ibrahim with his prescribed medication.
The ruling concerns how prison healthcare services handle medication for people whose religious practices conflict with routine dispensing arrangements.
Ibrahim is now at HMP Whatton and is due to be considered for release by a parole board in the coming months.
The High Court dismissed an NHS trust’s appeal over how codeine was provided to a Muslim prisoner during Ramadan.
Dahir Ibrahim had argued that the prison medication policy discriminated against him because it required him to take codeine during daylight fasting hours.
A County Court had found the policy amounted to indirect religious discrimination under the European Convention on Human Rights.
The High Court judgment, issued on September 29, found in Ibrahim’s favour.
- Who
- Dahir Ibrahim, a prisoner, and Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust.
- What
- The High Court dismissed the trust’s appeal against a ruling that its codeine-dispensing policy amounted to indirect religious discrimination.
- When
- The judgment was issued on September 29. The dispute concerned Ramadan in 2019.
- Where
- HMP Birmingham and the High Court in England.
- Why
- Ibrahim said he could not take codeine during daytime fasting hours, while the trust argued that providing it outside those hours was impractical.
Dahir Ibrahim
Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust
Medication during Ramadan
Dahir Ibrahim
Ibrahim argued that requiring him to take codeine during daytime fasting hours discriminated against him on religious grounds.
Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust
The trust said providing routine codeine outside fasting hours would have been completely impractical.
At the time in question, the Trust and its employees had given no thought to the possibility of providing Mr Ibrahim with his prescribed medication by any alternative procedure.
completely impractical
Ibrahim was jailed for 10 years for raping three Birmingham sex workers.
He received a life sentence with a minimum term of 10 years for raping two more women in Birmingham.
During Ramadan, Ibrahim refused to take codeine at the prison medication hatch during the allotted daytime hours.
Ibrahim brought his case against the NHS trust in Birmingham County Court and won.
The High Court heard the trust’s appeal.
The High Court issued its judgment in Ibrahim’s favour and dismissed the appeal.
- Prisoner
- Dahir Ibrahim
- NHS trust
- Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust
- Medication
- Codeine, prescribed for knee pain
- Prison
- HMP Birmingham
- Ramadan period
- May 6–June 4, 2019
- Judgment date
- September 29
Sources
Related news
UK prime minister says Russia interfered in 2016 Brexit vote
Burnham says Brexit vote was legitimate despite Russian interference claims
Labour plan to cut heat pump scheme funding draws industry backlash
Burnham says Russia interfered in 2016 Brexit vote
London drivers' union urges halt to driverless taxi rollout
Appeal for major battery energy storage system rejected
UK considers mandatory safety reporting for frontier AI firms
Farage proposes suspending asylum claims for up to five years
IFS warns inflation could squeeze public services ahead of Budget
Polanski vows to stay as Green leader after by-election loss and party row
Sinn Féin ministers face no-confidence vote after Drumcree dispute
