{"id":733144,"date":"2026-08-10T04:40:28","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T04:40:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/733144\/"},"modified":"2026-08-10T04:40:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T04:40:28","slug":"he-was-locked-away-for-having-aids-manchester-still-hasnt-said-sorry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/733144\/","title":{"rendered":"He was locked away for having AIDS, Manchester still hasn’t said sorry"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s almost nothing left of the hospital now. Turn off Oldham<\/a> Road, past the industrial units and under the railway line, and you\u2019ll drive past what looks like open fields behind metal railings, lined with trees.<\/p>\n

With the exception of one surviving square red-brick building, you could be forgiven for thinking there was nothing ever there at all.<\/p>\n

But roots run deep, and although the buildings are gone, memories – and pain – endure.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> to get the biggest stories straight to your inbox in our Daily Newsletter<\/p>\n

Monsall Hospital is thought to be the only place in Britain where a person living with HIV was detained against their will.<\/p>\n

Roger Youd was born in Flintshire in North Wales in 1956. He moved to Manchester in the early 1980s and was by all accounts a beloved figure of the city\u2019s gay scene, a music fan and avid vinyl collector who worked as a clerk at a furrier by day and a DJ by night, including a stint at Napoleons on Bloom Street.<\/p>\n

He was diagnosed with HIV in late August 1985 and is thought to have admitted himself to Monsall Hospital, which would go on to become something of a pioneer of early treatments before its closure in 1993.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Monsall Hospital from the air in 1925(Image: Image courtesy of Manchester Libraries )<\/p>\n

Such was the furore about the disease at the time that the city\u2019s first patients made the front page of the M.E.N in January 1985.<\/p>\n

The article quoted consultant Dr Bhat Mandal stressing that there was \u2018no risk whatsoever\u2019 to the wider community – but it also dubbed AIDS a \u2018killer disease\u2019 \u2018known as the \u2018gay plague\u2019.<\/p>\n

It was at Monsall Hospital that Roger was held against his will after a court order, the first of its kind, prevented him from going home.<\/p>\n

Manchester City Council, whose medical officer applied for the order, have said they \u2018profoundly regret\u2019 Roger\u2019s \u2018unacceptable\u2019 treatment, but have stopped short of apologising for the order.<\/p>\n

Roger\u2019s story was dramatised in Russell T Davies\u2019 2021 drama It\u2019s a Sin, but his real story has been painstakingly documented by activist Will Hampson<\/a> for his podcast AIDS: The Lost Boys of Soho.<\/p>\n

Archive editions of the M.E.N state that, at the initial hearing, the council\u2019s chief medical officer Dr Anna Jones applied for the order under the Public Health Control of Disease Act 1984.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

MEN clipping on the detainment order being imposed on Roger Youd on September 14 1985 (Image: MEN\/British Newspaper Archive)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe patient has indicated a wish to leave hospital,\u201d Ms Jones told Manchester Magistrates\u2019 Court on Saturday September 14, 1985. \u201cIn the opinion of myself and the consultant, that would be dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later speaking in a Thames TV documentary<\/a>, which aired in November 1985, Roger\u2019s consultant Dr Edward Dunbar\u2019s main concern was said to be that Roger \u2018did not live alone but in a crowded lodging house\u2019 in Levenshulme<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was bleeding profusely from many orifices, and was likely to rapidly get worse,\u201d the doctor claimed in the documentary.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was in danger of dying from a loss of a very large quantity of blood lost in a projectile manner. Anybody in the near vicinity was likely to be sprayed with a large quantity of infected blood.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roger\u2019s family, who were visiting him in hospital at the time and staying on hospital grounds, say that the order was sought without their knowledge. Speaking in a statement shared with the M.E.N., his older brother Carlton said the family had been blindsided by the decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was only told about it on the Saturday morning after we returned from town to buy essentials for his stay,\u201d Carlton said. \u201cI was completely stunned.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey pursued the order without sharing their intentions with us, despite our constant presence in the hospital and endless dialogue with the consultant. It has been a betrayal we have had to live with for more than forty years.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Roger in fancy dress as a corrections officer High Society on Princess Street where he worked as a DJ circa 1983. (Image: Courtesy of the Youd family )<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s gay community immediately rallied, holding public and vocal protests outside the town hall.<\/p>\n

The Terrence Higgins Trust, Britain\u2019s first HIV charity, arranged legal counsel for Roger, who successfully fought for the order to be lifted at the Court of Appeal on Tuesday, September 24, 1985.<\/p>\n

The city council\u2019s barrister told the judge that they did not oppose the application, as Roger\u2019s condition had \u2018substantially improved\u2019 and \u2018no longer justified detention\u2019.<\/p>\n

Roger\u2019s barrister said he \u2018did not accept\u2019 the validity of the original order, but Judge Patrick Russell told the court that the evidence \u2018plainly indicated that it was a proper order\u2019.<\/p>\n

Dr Edward Dunbar told the Thames TV documentary that he would \u2018not act any differently\u2019 despite the \u2018furore\u2019: “I would be failing the public of this city if I did.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Almost nothing remains of Monsall Hospital now (Image: Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

There were further protests outside the town hall on October 8. In an M.E.N. article on October 16 the council pledged to \u2018review its procedures\u2019 to ensure \u2018that the situation does not arise again\u2019.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson speaking in the same Thames TV documentary agreed it would \u2018not be necessary\u2019 to use the legislation again in future.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt causes fear amongst the community most at risk and they may not seek treatment,\u201d then-Cheetham councillor Nick Harris said in the documentary. \u201cThey may have fears of being incarcerated in hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt may lead to members of the public believing that this is a contagious disease that needs isolation treatment, when most of the people can be treated in ordinary acute hospitals or even at home without any risk.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the time, relations between Manchester City Council and the LGBT community were arguably on the up. In 1984 the council appointed a Gay Men\u2019s and Lesbian Officer to its equalities committee and provided a \u00a31,700 grant to fund the first ever Manchester Pride the following year.<\/p>\n

In 1986 the Council provided funds of \u00a3118,000 to build the city\u2019s Gay Centre and, in the wake of Section 28 becoming law, produced thousands of leaflets setting out how they would prevent LGBT people receiving unequal treatment.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A rally against Section 28 in Manchester city centre in February 1988 (Image: Mirrorpix)<\/p>\n

The 1984 legislation under which Roger was detained provided powers to isolate people suffering from notifiable diseases, which are required by law to be reported to government authorities, such as measles and tuberculosis.<\/p>\n

But HIV and AIDS have never been notifiable diseases in Britain, as they pose no risk of transmission through everyday contact. But a 1985 regulation allowed for the same powers to be exercised in relation to AIDS patients.<\/p>\n

It is this inconsistency that \u2018fires up\u2019 Will Hampson, the podcaster and activist who has chronicled Roger\u2019s case and has handed out flyers at Pride events up and down the country to tell his story. He has also launched a petition <\/a>urging the council to apologise.<\/p>\n

Perhaps reflecting the rapidly evolving understanding of the disease, the 1985 regulation was repealed in 1988. Roger himself remained at Monsall Hospital voluntarily after the order was lifted, and ultimately died there in December 1985 aged 29.<\/p>\n

Activist Will first came across the case when he was \u2018snooping in the archives\u2019 after receiving his own diagnosis of HIV. \u201cI vaguely remember the AIDS pandemic, but I wanted to find out what really happened,\u201d he told the M.E.N.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople had an irrational fear, thinking that you could catch HIV through touch or from a toilet seat. It is a fear that people even younger than me still have.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 44-year-old from Bradford has researched and produced more than 60 episodes looking at the individual stories of the AIDS crisis, including several on Roger\u2019s story – and it was through this that he came into contact with his brother Carlton.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Will Hampson has called upon Manchester City Council to apologise and has distributed flyers at Pride events up and down the country(Image: Will Hampson )<\/p>\n

\u201cI asked Carlton if he should have been detained\u2026no was the immediate answer,\u201d Will said. \u201cHe was in no fit state to get out of bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he wanted to discharge himself he would have done. The fact that he didn\u2019t shows that he could not.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody ever apologised, that is what is ringing in my ears. You get over the loss and the grief but it\u2019s the lack of apology that doesn\u2019t give closure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roger\u2019s brother Carlton did not wish to speak to the Manchester Evening News on record but consented to answer questions put to him in writing. He described Roger as ‘generous, warm-hearted and kind’, and said visiting him in hospital was \u2018usually full of laughter and ordinary catch-ups\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoger rarely dwelled on the detainment and appeal during our visits,\u201d he recalled. \u201cI do remember, with a clarity, the day I suggested he come and stay with Mum once he was feeling better.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said, \u201cThere\u2019s no point, they will only ever know me as the AIDS man.\u201d Such was the depth of stigma in 1985 that Roger was to be assigned a new identity because of the negative press attention.<\/p>\n

\u201cNational and international newspapers, including gutter tabloids, splashed his situation across their pages, stripping him of any control to tell our mother about his diagnosis and exposing her and the entire family to needless distress, prejudice and stigma from voices in the local community.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn apology for my brother is long overdue, his memory will forever be framed by the way he was treated, and that stain on his name and on our lives demands rectification and acknowledgement.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The MEN report on the detainment order being overturned, September 24 1985(Image: British Newspaper Archive\/Will Hampson)<\/p>\n

Will thinks that Roger\u2019s detainment may have had a chilling effect and deterred other people getting tested for HIV\/AIDS for fear of being detained. It\u2019s an opinion shared by Paul Fairweather MBE, a veteran campaigner who organised the first public meeting on HIV and AIDS in Manchester in 1984, and was the city’s first Gay Men’s officer.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce you had a diagnosis, you couldn\u2019t get insurance, couldn\u2019t get a mortgage, and there were no treatments at the time,\u201d he reflected. \u201cI think people weren\u2019t convinced of the value of a diagnosis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul and five others set up the Manchester AIDS helpline in 1985, which became the George House Trust and continues to provide support and advice to people living with HIV to this day.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a lot of fear, paranoia and ignorance around it,\u201d he recalled. \u201cRoger was released very quickly, but it was symptomatic of the atmosphere and how unaware people were of the facts.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was one of those involved in the \u2018very public\u2019 demonstrations against Roger\u2019s detainment. \u201cI knew Roger, he was a really friendly, really lovely guy,\u201d Paul remembered. \u201cI think it was a very traumatic experience for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Richard Angell, Chief Executive of Terrence Higgins Trust, said in a statement: “Our charity condemned the detainment of Roger Youd as outrageous 40 years ago and appointed legal counsel to successfully fight it.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Monsall Hospital interiors pictured in 1942. (Image: Image courtesy of Manchester Libraries )<\/p>\n

\u201cToday we stand by this characterisation of the order and support calls for the Council to finally apologise to Roger’s loved ones for his forced detainment after a decades’ long wait.<\/p>\n

“In addition to the very personal impact for Roger and his family, the wider impact of the huge national and local media coverage of the case cannot be overstated.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will have left people wanting to test for HIV too scared to come forward, while helping to deeply entrench inaccurate public perceptions about HIV and AIDS that we are still fighting against today.”<\/p>\n

Sarah Lester, editor of the M.E.N, said: “The Manchester Evening News was also part of the story we are telling today. Our archive contains coverage of Roger\u2019s detention that used language and framing that makes deeply uncomfortable reading now.<\/p>\n

“We recognise that our reporting contributed to the stigma and distress experienced by Roger and his family and many others in the gay community. We are sorry for that.””Newsrooms have changed enormously in the four decades since Roger\u2019s story appeared in our pages, and so has our understanding of HIV and AIDS. But progress does not erase the hurt caused then, nor should it.<\/p>\n

“We will be reflecting more fully on our own coverage and what it says about journalism, and the responsibility we have to the people whose stories we tell, in a forthcoming piece.”<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The M.E.N clipping reporting on Roger Youd’s death(Image: MEN\/British Newspaper Archive)<\/p>\n

Local councillor Pat Karney, who has stood in the Harpurhey<\/a> ward since 1979, praised Will\u2019s \u2018incredible\u2019 website. \u201cI was around when the Council took this wrong decision on the advice of medical officials,\u201d he said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a period of hysterical misinformation about AIDS and HIV. I am sorry Roger and his family had to endure this ordeal.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn behalf of the Council I would ask the petitioners and Roger’s family if they wish to meet with us so we can honour his memory, I am happy to arrange this meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n

When contacted for a statement, a spokesperson for Manchester City Council said: \u201cMr Youd’s treatment was unacceptable and is something we profoundly regret.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe acknowledge the distress he and his family went through and we would be happy to meet with family members should they wish to discuss the case.<\/p>\n

“There is no doubt that when HIV\/AIDS emerged in the early 1980s it was a devastating and much misunderstood infection, and that cities including our own went through a steep learning curve and got some things badly wrong.<\/p>\n

“However, Manchester has always been committed to equality and diversity – even when that ran counter to national policy and it is clear that the response to HIV\/AIDS from all agencies has improved radically in the last four decades.\u201d<\/p>\n

Campaigner Peter Tatchell told the MEN: “The expression of ‘regret’ by Manchester City Council is not enough. It should make a full apology, and so should the Manchester region of the NHS.<\/p>\n

“They conspired together to detain a gay man with HIV against his will. Whatever the intention and motive, this was a medically unjustified deprivation of liberty.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There\u2019s almost nothing left of the hospital now. Turn off Oldham Road, past the industrial units and under…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":733145,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[59,102,8934,56,54,55,112864],"class_list":["post-733144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-gb","tag-health","tag-premium","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-unmissable"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=733144"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733144\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/733145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=733144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=733144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=733144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}