Freezing Holme House prisoner 'stuck in segregation with no heating'

The girlfriend of a Holme House prisoner says her partner has been left freezing and 'stuck in segregation with no heating'.

Natalie Hannan claims her boyfriend Amar Magid, 36, has been crying on the phone to her because he is so cold in the segregation unit at the Stockton prison, as the heating is not working. She says he has been refused access to his jumpers and warm socks.

However, prison bosses say all convicts have been provided with extra blankets as they try to combat the heating issue at the HMP Holme House unit "promptly".

The drama comes as Teesside and the rest of the country has been plunged into sub-zero temperatures due to a wintry weather spell.

Ms Hannan, 33, said: "He's got a t-shirt and a jacket. They won't let him have his jumpers or fleeces - they're in a prop box. His possessions were packaged up and he was moved. He's stuck in segregation with no heating. He's asked for the fleeces and some of his socks but they won't give him them.

"The heating on his segregation wing is broken. He's so cold, he says he can't feel his feet."

She added: "The radiators on one side of the segregation block aren't working. They shouldn't be using the cells."

Ms Hannan says she is worried sick about her partner, who she got together with after meeting on Snapchat, 15 months ago.

She told Teesside Live that Magid was moved from a regular wing of the prison to the segregation unit after his cell was searched on January 3, and officers allegedly found drugs.

Ms Hannan, who lives in Middlesbrough, broke down in tears as she told how she's pleaded with prison guards to help Magid, who isn't due to be released until December 16 this year. "One of them went into his cell and realised how cold it is," she claims. "She gave him another blanket, but the prison blankets are thin. He's ringing me and he's just crying because he's so cold."

A Prison Service spokesperson said: “Segregation units are a safety measure used to maintain good order. The heating is being repaired promptly and additional clothing and blankets have been provided to all prisoners within the unit.”

Magid, from Berwick Hills in Middlesbrough, was jailed in August 2022 for three-years-and-four-months, for "warehousing" drugs. Police uncovered £40,000 of heroin stashed in a dog kennel in the garden of a house in Darlington, during a raid in October 2021.

Magid claimed he stored the drugs after getting into debt. He said the dealer - who he is too scared to name - offered to reduce his debt in exchange for Magid keeping hold of the heroin. He was released from prison in April 2023 - but he has since been recalled for breaking his licence conditions.

In November last year, Magid was fined £200 over his two pit bull terriers - which are banned breed. One of the dogs, Coco, was found to be dangerously out of control whilst on a Middlesbrough street in 2023. Coco was deemed a danger to the public and the dog was put down. Coco, along with Kilo - the second pit bull terrier - was in a public place without a muzzle or lead.

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