Kenneth Severin

Kenneth Epiphane Severin was a 25-year-old loving Black father and uncle from south-east London.

In 1995 Kenneth, who had no criminal record, was remanded to Belmarsh Prison despite concerns about his mental health. Prior to this, Kenneth was successfully managing his mental ill health with medication. After a few weeks in Belmarsh, Kenneth died after being stripped naked and violently restrained by five prison officers in a cell.

An inquest in 1997 ruled that Kenneth died of 'positional asphyxia' following the use of restraints. This contradicted the prison staff who had claimed it was an accident. The inquest revealed that the prison officers had little to no training in dealing with people with mental ill health.

The coroner described the case as "appalling", making a long list of recommendations about the prison’s treatment of people with mental ill health.  

Kenneth’s family ran a prominent campaign, demanding prison authorities properly investigate the circumstances surrounding his death. Kenneth was one of three Black prisoners to have died following restraint by prisoner officers in a three-month period.

Channel 4 later aired Citizen’s Arrest, a programme highlighting his family’s fight for justice. Kenneth’s niece, Michelle Jones, directed a short film about what happened called Uncle Story.