A PRISONER suffered severe facial paralysis after he was injected with a strong drug following an accidental fire in his cell, the Court of Appeal heard yesterday.
Human rights groups called for an inquiry into the case after Turkish seaman Izzet Kelleci, 33, said prison officers knocked him out with a 'liquid cosh'.
Leading defence lawyers said they had not heard of a case before of the Correctional Services Department using such strong drugs on non-violent inmates.
The tranquilliser was said to be so strong he could not attend a court hearing the next day. Kelleci's reaction was so extreme he had to be given a drug used to treat Parkinson's disease to counter the effects.
The incident was disclosed yesterday when Kelleci appealed against a life sentence for manslaughter.
He was sentenced in April last year for killing fellow sailor Ozkan Suat, 29, on their ship while it was berthed at Kwai Chung.
According to psychiatric reports, Kelleci said a fire started accidentally in his cell in Stanley prison as he tried to light a cigarette while reading a newspaper on March 6 this year.