'Like a prisoner': Man with learning disabilities 'locked up' in hospital for 35 years | ITV News

When Bryan McCarry was last at liberty to walk the streets of his hometown in Northern Ireland, the world was a very different place.
Margaret Thatcher was in power, there was tragedy when a plane crashed into the town of Lockerbie and the average house price was £60,0000.
It was 1988. Bryan was 21 years old, and despite the challenges of autism and learning disabilities, his family hoped he would get the help he needed to build a happy future.
Bryan was detained under the Mental Health Act at the Muckamore Abbey Hospital in Antrim, Northern Ireland for assessment.
It was supposed to be for 12 weeks to allow health officials to prepare a treatment plan.
Nearly 35 years later he is still there and his family say they never received a treatment plan.
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