Judge rules Briton can be force-fed
A US judge has ruled that prison officials may continue force-feeding a Briton on hunger strike
A US judge has ruled that prison officials may continue force-feeding a Briton who began a hunger strike in September 2007 over claims he was convicted on a fabricated sexual assault charge.
William Coleman, reportedly originally from Liverpool, who is serving an eight-year sentence for rape, said he began his hunger strike to protest against a corrupt judicial system.
The state of Connecticut began force-feeding Coleman in September 2008 after he stopped accepting fluids, but he argued that the feedings violate his right of free speech.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut estimates that state Department of Correction staff force-fed Coleman at least a dozen times. He has since voluntarily taken some fluids.
David McGuire, an ACLU lawyer representing Coleman, said today the group was reviewing a decision released by Superior Court Judge James Graham.
Judge Graham signalled he was not swayed by Coleman's arguments that he had a right to refuse medical treatment.
"Neither the state or federal free speech guarantees allow Coleman to continue his hunger strike in contradiction to the penological needs of the prison" to maintain a safe, secure and orderly facility, the judge wrote.
The ACLU issued a statement calling Graham's ruling "flawed at its core because it disregards the choice of a competent individual to refuse medical treatment."
Coleman weighed more than 250 lbs (115 kilos) when he began his hunger strike after losing an appeal in 2007. His weight dropped to 139 lbs (63 kilos) in September 2008, when he stopped taking fluids and began showing signs of dehydration.
