Serial rapist wins court case over prison medication during Ramadan

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 12 Oct, 06:36 · Archive

A man serving a life sentence for rape won a High Court battle over how his painkillers were dispensed during Ramadan in prison.

Dahir Ibrahim, a 41-year-old serving a life sentence for rape, has won a High Court battle against an NHS trust over how his prescribed painkiller was dispensed during Ramadan while he was imprisoned at HMP Birmingham.

In May 2019, prison healthcare staff would only provide the codeine at medication hatches during the morning or afternoon. This meant Ibrahim had to choose between taking his medication during daylight hours, when Muslims fast during Ramadan, or observing the daytime fast as part of his religious practice. When he attended the medication hatch on 6 May, he was told he could not take the medication away and would have to swallow it under a nurse's supervision. He refused, and the same situation arose over the following two days, before he was given paracetamol as an alternative on 9 May.

Codeine was excluded from overnight medication packs that some other prisoners could take into their cells because of its psychoactive effects and the risk of misuse. Ibrahim argued that the prison's policy breached his human rights. He brought a case against Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust at Birmingham County Court in 2024 and won. The trust appealed to the High Court, but the appeal was dismissed on 29 September.

How it is being reported

• Somali serial rapist WINS lawsuit against NHS over Ramadan medication rowThe dispute dates back to May 2019, when Ibrahim was held at HMP Birmingham and prescribed codeine for knee pain.Daily Express · 12 Oct, 06:08
• Somali serial rapist sues NHS over how prescriptions are handed out in jail during Ramadan... and winsDahir Ibrahim, described by police as a 'predator' who 'preyed on vulnerable women', was first jailed for 10 years in 2006 for raping three Birmingham sex workers at knifepoint.Daily Mail · 11 Oct, 22:58

In this story: Dahir Ibrahim · Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust · HMP Birmingham · Birmingham

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