A former refugee stabbed at school after he arrived in Scotland claims he has been the victim of a racist abuse in a secure hospital.
A healthcare assistant has been suspended at the Carstairs state hospital, which houses Scotland’s most violent mentally ill criminals, while chiefs carry out an investigation into the allegations.
Christopher Ikolo, who was the victim of a brutal racially-motivated stabbing when he was 15, has told hospital bosses he was assaulted as he was being restrained by the assistant.
Ikolo, who has been a patient at the hospital for more than five years, also claims he suffered racial insults during the incident last month.
A source said: “The incident happened when the patient was being escorted to his room with two members of staff.
“He claimed during restraint he was assaulted and racially abused by the staff member.
"The staff member has counter-claimed he was assaulted but he has been suspended and interviews are taking place to establish what has happened.
“It’s been alleged that the healthcare assistant had been asking for time off work that weekend and was refused.”
Another source said: “Ikolo has been at the hospital for around five or six years and has not given staff any problems for the last two years.
“The healthcare assistant has previously been in trouble about his behaviour towards patients so there was no option but to suspend him and launch an investigation.
“It’s being rumoured he instigated the incident to feign injury and get time off and Christopher is adamant he is the victim.”
Ikolo suffered a horrific injury in 2007 after being stabbed by a racist thug as he returned to school from his lunch break in Glasgow’s Govanill.
He had been hailed as an “industrious teenager and gifted rapper” after fleeing the Congo in 2002 for a better life.
He suffered life-threatening damage to one of his kidneys and needed emergency surgery.
A spokeswoman for Carstairs said: “Due to data protection, we are unable to comment on patients or staff, past or present.”
