Murderer suing the government for “a violation of his human rights”

Andre Reich, 59, says a lack of access to sanitation at HMP Long Lartin, near Evesham, was a violation of his human rights.

Reich had broken his leg and said squatting over a slop bucket was too difficult, and because he was unfit to leave his cell to work during the day, he was sometimes denied access to a toilet for hours on end.

Reich, who has since been moved to Durham’s Frankland Prison and still walks with crutches, claims the treatment was discriminatory on account of his disability.

His lawyers say also say it was a breach of his human right to protection from torture or inhumane and degrading treatment.

“For three years and eight months, he was denied sanitation except when an officer let him out of his cell,” said his barrister, Quincy Whitaker.

The court heard Reich broke his leg in a tripping accident in 2010 and has had mobility problems ever since.

As he was locked in his cell and could not squat over a bucket, he had to press a buzzer every time he needed to use the toilet.

It often led to waits of two to three hours and, on one occasion, he was left for 14 hours without being able to go. At the time, he complained of being in ‘extreme agony’.

“This case concerns failure to provide any receptacle into which he can defecate when he is unable to access the toilet,” his barrister continued.

“It’s clear he was unable to use the bucket, as he made that clear repeatedly.

“He received a disciplinary sanction for an expression of frustration after he was locked up for 14 hours without access to sanitation.”

The Ministry of Justice denies liability, claiming that Reich could use the bucket when necessary.

Reich, wearing a New York Yankees baseball cap, is watching his case at Central London County Court via a video link from Frankland Prison.

Reich, then known as Wayne Singleton, was convicted at Lewes Crown Court in 1992 of the murder of Lynne Rogers.

The teenager was killed after being lured to a bogus job interview. Her body was found beneath bushes near a country lane in Rotherfield, East Sussex.

The hearing continues.

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