An asylum seeker who was shot dead by police after stabbing people in a Glasgow hotel wanted to leave the UK because he was “not happy”, a hearing has been told.
A senior civil servant also told a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) that hotel accommodation could be “particularly challenging” for asylum seekers staying there for long periods.
Badreddin Abdalla Adam Bosh, 28, was shot and killed by police after attempts to use non-lethal weapons were unsuccessful during the incident at the Park Inn Hotel in Glasgow on June 26 2020.
Those injured by Bosh, who was from Sudan, included three asylum seekers, two hotel workers and a police officer who had responded to the initial emergency call.
Parts of the inquiry have been looking into Bosh’s mental health before he carried out the attacks, and the concerns that were raised about this.
As the FAI continued on Tuesday, Home Office civil servant Paul Bilbao said the Home Office had begun using hotels for asylum seeker accommodation in around 2014/15, under a contracting arrangement.
At the onset of the pandemic, there was an “everyone in” policy which increased demand, he said.
Mr Bilbao said this was about “making sure nobody was homeless during the pandemic”.
Under questioning from Andrew Webster KC, who represented the Home Office, Mr Bilbao discussed Bosh’s application to return to his origin country under the voluntary return scheme.
The FAI hearing was shown an application form relating to this, where Bosh was asked: “What is your reason for leaving the UK?”
The form listed his reason as “not happy”, the hearing was told.
Mr Webster noted that no medical issues had been raised, other than a possible stomach ulcer.
The hearing was also shown a message from an official at Mears, the group which provided the asylum accommodation for the Home Office.
It related to concerns about Bosh’s behaviour the night before the fatal incident on June 26.
The Mears official recounted a conversation with Bosh, who said he “hadn’t threatened anyone”.
The official noted that Bosh “seems a bit confused”.
Sheriff Stuart Reid asked Mr Bilbao some further questions, including about the mental health situation of those staying in hotels during the pandemic.
The civil servant said he recognised that asylum seekers could be “particularly vulnerable”.
Mr Bilbao said: “It could be particularly challenging for people who were there for a long time, they could feel there was a lack of agency.”
He said the Home Office wanted to end the use of such hotels for asylum accommodation, adding: “It had benefits, it had downsides, but it was absolutely the only option available.”
The inquiry continues at Glasgow Sheriff Court, before Sheriff Reid.
The purpose of an FAI includes determining the cause of death, the circumstances in which the death occurred, and establishing what reasonable precautions could have been taken to minimise the risk of future deaths in similar circumstances.
Unlike criminal proceedings, FAIs are inquisitorial in nature, and are used to establish facts rather than apportion blame.
