Former heavyweight boxing champion Frank Bruno has made disturbing allegations about his treatment during his 2003 sectioning at Goodmayes Hospital in Ilford, Essex.
The 63-year-old sporting icon has accused staff of corruption and called for their dismissal.
In a revealing interview with the Daily Mail, Bruno claimed hospital workers deliberately mistreated patients and derived pleasure from their suffering.
"They're all corrupted and get kicks out of mistreating the patients," Bruno stated.
Boxing icon Frank Bruno has trailblazed change when it comes to mental health | PAThe British boxing legend, who won the WBC heavyweight title in 1995, spent three weeks at the facility after being sectioned under the Mental Health Act. His allegations paint a troubling picture of patient care at the institution.
Bruno detailed specific instances of alleged mistreatment during his stay.
"They would go out of their way to try and wind you up or distress you," he told the Daily Mail. "If you're in a play group or walking around, they would trigger you."
The former champion described how staff would confiscate items to increase patients' misery.
"If I was messing around with a football, they would come and take the football away just to make you even more miserable," he revealed.
Frank Bruno described the hospital as 'horrible' as it mistreated patients
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Bruno's most damning accusation concerned the overall treatment he received. "They treated me like a slave," he stated. "It was mentally horrible."
Bruno described the day of his sectioning as deeply traumatic.
"It was a very heavy day for me," he recounted.
"The ambulance turned up on the driveway with the police cars behind it. There were reporters climbing over the fences to get pictures. Helicopters overhead filming everything. It was very, very embarrassing."
The hospital has responded to Bruno's allegations. A Goodmayes Hospital spokesperson said: "We're sorry to hear that this was Mr Bruno's experience of our services.
"Since his last contact with services at Goodmayes, we have made several improvements to our inpatient environments, therapeutic work with our patients, and a significant investment in recruitment."
Frank Bruno was sectioned in 2003 under the Mental Health Act
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Bruno's sectioning followed a period of personal turmoil, including cocaine use, his marriage breakdown, retirement difficulties and his trainer George Francis's suicide.
His daughter Nicola, then just 20, signed the committal papers - a revelation that initially strained their relationship, though they have since reconciled.
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Goodmayes Hospital has since responded to Frank Bruno's complaints
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The psychological scars from his hospitalisation remain profound. "After it was all over, I had to go and see a shrink to try and get over what had happened," Bruno disclosed.
Now approaching his 64th birthday, the former champion maintains a rigorous fitness regime to cope with his trauma. He trains twice daily, viewing physical exercise as essential to his healing process.