Gordon Brown sends condolences over deaths of Red Road flat refugees

Published on Wednesday 10 March 2010 21:52

PRIME Minister Gordon Brown has sent his "sincere condolences" to the family and friends of three asylum seekers who died in an apparent suicide.

The bodies of the mother, father and son were found at the bottom of a 31-storey block in Petershill Drive in the Springburn area of Glasgow on Sunday.

Efforts to establish their identities are continuing, but they have been named as Sergei Serykh, 43, his wife Tatiana and his stepson.

A spokesman for the Russian Consul in Edinburgh said that despite police claims, the family may not have been Russian nationals but simply "of Russian origin".

It is understood the family moved to Canada and were granted refugee status in 2005.

But the father is reported to have made allegations against authorities after their applications for citizenship were refused.

It is believed the family received a letter explaining that their accommodation in Glasgow was due to stop on Sunday.

Yesterday, Willie Bain MP, who was visited by the father at his surgery a month before the tragedy, met Mr Brown in London.

Following the meeting, the Labour MP for Glasgow North East said: "

The sad irony is that I visited the area on Saturday and witnessed the important work being carried out by the Red Road Integration Network, which provides support and assistance to asylum seekers and involves the wider community.

"The Prime Minister asked that I pass on his sincere condolences to the deceased's friends and family, and expressed his support for the people of Springburn.

"We talked about the asylum system, in particular how we can publicise the support network available to applicants and what measures can be put in place to better support those whose cases have been fully determined."

Glasgow-based charity Positive Action in Housing reiterated its calls for a fatal accident inquiry after saying the family had an application to stay in the UK rejected.