detained in a mental health crisis and has been largely held in solitary confinement ever since. now, at last, there s good news, as tony has been found a new for ever home. breakfast s jayne mccubbin reports. we re coming home. a new house is taking shape in brighton. dream come true. a dream come true. a new home for pam and roy s son, tony. it s happening now. tony s going to come home. yeah. you ve waited so long. yeah. decades. this is tony hickmott. last year, we had to go to court to be able to report how he had been detained in a secure hospitalfor 21 years not because he s a criminal, but because he s autistic. who do you love? mum. that s it who s boy are you? mum s. put yourthumb up. last november, his parents long
he s got his bed made. etc, etc. that s just a daily schedule, but it s not a care plan. it sjust detainment. i can only imagine what must go through tony s mind every day. asking himself, why? why am i here? why am i locked in every day? who do you love? mum. that s it. whose boy are you? mum. put yourthumb up. the huntercombe group, the company which ran the hospital, sold it on in 2020 and has ceased to exist. we contacted the current huntercombe group, but they told us they could not comment because they are a different legal entity and were not involved in tony s her. his local authority and nhs commissioners say they re working to create care that meets his needs in his community. and i really appreciate you coming down speaking out. you want to make things better. tony has always stayed in my mind.
the interaction he gets. the huntercombe group sold the hospital in december 2020 and was itself taken over. in a statement, they told us they couldn t comment on the case, as they were now an entirely new legal entity and weren t involved in providing services for tony. the cqc say tony s hospital is improving and is out of special measures. the local authority and nhs commissioners told us they re working with tony s family to find him his own home and appropriate support. i can only imagine what must go through tony s mind every day. asking himself, why? why am i here? why am i locked in everyday life? who do you love? mum. that s it. who s boy are you? mum. put yourthumb up. he said, am i a good boy? am i a good boy today? yes, he would lookl at you, and he d go, have i been a good boy? he sees himself as a bad person that is so upsetting.