The family of a 32-year-old who died just days before he was due to be released from prison have raised serious concerns about his treatment behind bars.
Mohammed Azizi had been an inmate at HMP Norwich when he died on May 15 at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital (N&N).
Originally from Essex, he was placed in other prisons but transferred to Norwich due to the need for health care for his Crohn's disease.
This was due to the prison having a health care wing which could provide 24-hour care.
He is believed to have been sentenced for “arson and arson with recklessness” following a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court in 2021.
Mr Azizi was taken to the N&N on several occasions during his time at Norwich prison but died following an admission in April 2023.
An inquest into his death is currently being held at Norfolk Coroner’s Court with a jury and is expected to last eight days.
In a statement to the court, his family raised serious concerns about Mr Azizi’s treatment while in prison.
It heard how following a break-up from his long-term girlfriend his mental health began to deteriorate.
He began drinking heavily and taking drugs. In turn, he started to suffer from extreme paranoia, presented with "erratic behaviour” and became “detached from reality”.
He was arrested and released on more than 30 occasions during a short period of time and by August 2020, he was held on remand and taken to HMP Pentonville, in London.
He was then moved to several other prisons before being taken to HMP Norwich in August 2022.
The family statement continued: “By this point he’d given up on himself.
“In prison, things seemed to go downhill for him both physically and mentally.”
The court heard how during the final days of his life, he was handcuffed to a hospital bed despite being unable to move.
And following his death, his family were handed his possessions which included his loose teeth wrapped in tissues.
Mr Azizi was due to be released at the end of May 2023.
The family added: “Overall as a family, we feel that he had an underlying mental health problem which heavily contributed to him refusing medication and treatment.
“As a family, we question whether more could have been done to explore and treat Mo's underlying mental health problems.”
BROTHER'S TRIBUTE
Paying tribute, his brother said: “If I was asked to describe my brother in one world it would be ‘amazing’.
“Mo was a happy-go-lucky type of person who had a very kind and loving nature.
“He was so generous and would give away his last pound to help someone he loved
“Mo was a good son, brother, and uncle, and loved being around his family.
“We went out together, we went on holidays together, and really enjoyed spending time with one another.
“All of our family miss Mo very much and feel as though there is a big hole in our family since we lost him. We’ve all struggled since he passed away.
“It’s been very difficult for me to even start the grieving process because of all the questions surrounding what happened to Mo.
“Personally, I feel like I’ve lost my right arm.”
The inquests continues.
- To pay tribute to a loved one, email norfolkobituaries@newsquest.co.uk
- To read all obituaries and tributes join the Facebook group Norfolk's Loved & Lost.
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