News
Man given open-ended prison sentence for robbing phone left in ‘limbo’
‘His hair is falling out in patches and he can’t put on any weight’
A man who has been imprisoned for more than a decade for stealing a mobile phone is stuck in ‘heartbreaking’ limbo after the government decided not to review a now abolished law.
Thomas White from Bury was given a minimum sentence of two years when he was convicted of street robbery after stealing a mobile phone from a couple in Manchester city centre. He is one of nearly 3,000 prisoners serving an Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence, which sets a minimum but not a maximum term in prison.
IPP sentences were designed to protect the public from prolific and dangerous offenders, but were scrapped later by the Justice Secretary Ken Clarke, in 2012, because they disproportionately punished those who committed low level offences.
The father-of-one was told to undergo a series of progressive programs which are part of the requirements for release under an IPP, but his family claim many of the prisons he has been transferred to over the past 11 years do not have the necessary courses available.
Though IPP sentences were abolished in 2012, many incarcerated people like Thomas are still imprisoned under the now defunct law. Last year, the Justice Select Committee found that IPP sentences were ‘irredeemably flawed’ after a year-long inquiry. It recommended the government re-sentence all IPP prisoners.
However, the government has made the decision not to review open-ended prison sentences. Speaking to ITV News, Clara White, Thomas’ sister has spent years campaigning for his release and said she ‘cried with joy for two days’ after the Justice Select Committee ruling — but says her family’s hopes have now been shattered.
She continued: “I really am totally and completely devastated. I don’t understand how they can dismiss this and although we are shattered, IPP families won’t stop fighting.”
Clara says her brother’s mental state and physical health has rapidly declined and she has also suffered PTSD through her fight for her brother. She added: “Thomas spoke to me on the phone last week and you can hear it in his voice, he doesn’t think he will ever be released, and this is going to have a detrimental effect.
“His hair is falling out in patches and he can’t put on any weight, one time my mum went to visit, and she had to ask the guard to point out her son because he was so unrecognisable.
“He has lost all hope, this sentence has had a huge impact on our family and to have his hope taken away like that is heartbreaking.”
Despite the trauma, Clara has said that she will continue to fight her brother’s sentence and has sent his case to Dr. Alice Jill Edwards, a Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
In response to the findings in the report by the Justice Select Committee, the government accepted or partially accepted some of its recommendations, including a review of the Ministry of Justice and the Prison and Probation Service IPP action plan and improved mental health support for IPP prisoners. However, it rejected the call for an immediate review of all IPP sentences.
Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said: “The government’s long-held view is that this would give rise to an unacceptable risk to public protection and that the IPP action plan, suitably updated, remains the best option by which these offenders can progress towards a safe release.
“As such, the government has no plans to conduct a resentencing exercise.”
In response, Chair of the Justice Select Committee, Sir Bob Neill, said the committee had been ‘not only disappointed but genuinely surprised’ by the rejection of some of its recommendations and feared that IPP Prisoners ‘will remain held in an unsustainable limbo’.
He said: “The committee recognised that addressing this issue would not be easy – that’s why we recommended that a small, time-limited committee of experts be set up to advise on the resentencing exercise. We are not only disappointed with this government response but genuinely surprised.
“There is now a growing consensus that a resentencing exercise is the only way to comprehensively address the injustice of IPP sentences and that this can be done without prejudicing public protection.
“Our report said this nettle needed to be grasped by all three branches of the state – government, Parliament and the judiciary. But the government has not listened. The nettle has not been grasped and, as a result, these people will remain held in an unsustainable limbo.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “Protecting the public is our number one priority and resentencing all IPP offenders risks undermining this by releasing dangerous prisoners into our communities.
“Our current approach has already reduced the number of unreleased IPP prisoners by three-quarters since 2012 and new laws mean their sentences are reviewed 10 years after release.
“We are also now changing the rules so IPP offenders with five years’ good behaviour in the community will have their continued supervision reviewed automatically.”
News
Woman with undiagnosed brain tumour had to visit doctors nine times to get scan
Doctors told her if she had not had the surgery within a few hours or days then it could have been a different story
A woman with an undiagnosed brain tumour who was told ‘we don’t give out brain scans to 24-year-olds willy nilly’ is now campaigning for change.
Claudia Laird, from Burnley, went to see a medical professional on nine occasions as she tried to get to the bottom of why she felt so unwell. One week later, she was diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Claudia told ITV Granada Reports: “I think the initial reaction was trusting of the GP. I was in shock after, because I found out I definitely needed that brain scan.
“It was all quite quick – they weren’t sure what was on the brain at first. It was all up in the air.
“I can’t believe I went through that. We were just waiting for the doctors to tell us the outcome. It was challenging, but more so looking back on it now. At the time, you don’t know the outcome.”
Claudia was experiencing symptoms of confusion, hallucinations and fatigue. But doctors put it down to what they thought to be gastroenteritis. After discovering the tumour, Claudia had to then undergo an eight-hour operation.
Doctors told her if she had not had the surgery within a few hours or days then it could have been a different story. She said: “I was asleep all the time. My friends would call me lazy. I thought it was because I was working long hours.
“I walked into a window thinking it was a door. I spent a night in bed with my mum and dad because I was hallucinating.”
Claudia is now training to be a paediatrician, to give people the same level of care. After the difficulty she had in getting diagnosed, Claudia has decided she does not want the same mistakes to happen to someone else.
Claudia said: “We need everybody to understand the difficulty of getting that diagnosis. It took me over nine times to get that diagnosis. I went to opticians, GP and A&E just to push to say ‘I really don’t think something is right here’.
“I want to see some changes, some research, funding into brain tumours. 1% of cancer research goes into brain tumours.”
The NHS lists the symptoms of a brain tumour as:
- headaches.
- seizures (fits)
- persistently feeling sick (nausea), being sick (vomiting) and drowsiness.
- mental or behavioural changes, such as memory problems or changes in personality.
- progressive weakness or paralysis on one side of the body.
- vision or speech problems.
News
Elderly Manchester jewellers fight off armed robber in terrifying footage
‘I don’t think he expected us to do what we did. But the adrenaline kicked in’
A couple of grandparents from Manchester who own a jewellery shop have revealed how they fought off an armed robber.
Malcolm Abelson, 78, and his wife Elise, 73, spoke of how ‘the adrenaline kicked in’ when they confronted an armed robber as he tried to steal a necklace and diamond bracelet from their shop in St Ann’s Arcade.
During a scuffle the man attempted to hit Mr Abelson with a claw hammer before he was overpowered. Mrs Abelson said: “He must have thought two old people were an easy target.”
The couple, who have four children and 10 grandchildren, said the man had visited the city centre shop earlier that morning before returning an hour-and-a-half later — The BBC reports.
“He asked to look at a necklace and diamond bracelet and he said they were for his girlfriend,” Mrs Abelson said.
“As I was showing him them I realised he was wearing thick black plastic gloves, and then he tried to snatch them. He said ‘give them to me’, but there was no way in the world I was going to give him them.”
It was at this point Mr Abelson realised what was happening and confronted the assailant, who suddenly pulled out a claw hammer. Mrs Abelson said: “I set the panic alarm off and was screaming the police are coming.”
She said her husband was able to get the thief outside before he ran away, dropping his phone, hat and the hammer. “I don’t think he expected us to do what we did. But the adrenaline kicked in,” she said. “I look back and think it was stupid really. Why did we do that? He could have had a knife. I don’t know what made us do it.”
The shop was originally founded by Mr Abelson’s grandfather Julius Abelson in 1895 and the family have run the business ever since. Mr Abelson, who had a quadruple heart bypass four years ago, has worked in the shop since he was 16 years old.
Mrs Abelson, who has worked at the shop for 40 years, said the pair had experienced crime at the store in the past but this was the first time they had faced an armed robbery. “We’ve had the odd snatch and grab but we’ve never had an armed attack like this,” she said.
“It’s happened now, and we carry on. Thankfully it is very rare.” She said they were both left shaken but unhurt and continued to open the shop as usual on Tuesday March 14th.
After CCTV footage of the incident was shared on Twitter by the couple’s grandson, several social media users described Mr Abelson as a ‘hero’.
One woman tweeted: “Well done that man, deserves a medal, you should be very proud.”
Greater Manchester Police confirmed officers were investigating the incident.
News
How emergency alert will affect your mobile phone next month and what you need to do
Here’s what will happen…
An emergency warning will be sent by the government to mobile phone users across the UK next month to test a new public alert system.
The loud siren-like emergency test will be issued to mobile phone users, with the nationwide trial due in the early evening of Sunday April 23rd. A message will appear on the home screens of people’s devices during the test, with vibration and a loud warning sound that will ring for about 10 seconds – even if the phone is set to silent mode.
Phone users will be unable to use other features on their devices unless they acknowledge the alert. According to the government website, it reads: “Emergency Alerts is a UK government service that will warn you if there’s a danger to life nearby.
“In an emergency, your mobile phone or tablet will receive an alert with advice about how to stay safe. The government does not need to know your phone number or location to send you an alert.”
It has been modelled on successful services already used in a number of other countries, including the US, Canada, the Netherlands and Japan, where it has been widely credited with saving lives, for example, during severe weather events.
Emergency Alerts will be used very rarely – only being sent where there is an immediate risk to people’s lives – so people may not receive an alert for months, or even years. Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Oliver Dowden said: “We are strengthening our national resilience with a new emergency alerts system, to deal with a wide range of threats – from flooding to wildfires.
“It will revolutionise our ability to warn and inform people who are in immediate danger, and help us keep people safe. As we’ve seen in the US and elsewhere, the buzz of a phone can save a life.”
People who do not wish to receive the alerts will be able to opt out in their device settings, but officials hope the life-saving potential of the messages means that users will keep them on. The alerts will only ever come from the government or emergency services. They will include the details of the area affected, and provide instructions about how best to respond.
Mark Hardingham, chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council, welcomed the system, saying: “Together with every fire and rescue service in the country, I’m looking forward to having emergency alerts available to help us to do our jobs and to help communities in the event of emergencies.
“We’ve seen this type of system in action elsewhere across the world and we look forward to having the facility here in the UK – by working together with fire services and partners we want this system to help us to help you be as safe as you can if a crisis does hit.”
The Cabinet Office said the alerts are secure, free to receive, and one-way, insisting they do not reveal anyone’s location or collect personal data. Tests of the service have already taken place in East Suffolk and Reading.
The scheme could eventually be expanded to cover terrorist incidents, but officials acknowledged that much more information about how the alerts system operates in the UK would be needed before that could happen in response to a fast-moving attack.
What will an emergency alert look like?
Emergency Alerts will appear on your device and you will hear a loud siren-like sound for up to 10 seconds. It will appear on your device’s home screen and you must acknowledge it before you can use other features. They appear as a notification and may include telephone numbers or website links containing further information. A loud, siren-like sound and vibration will accompany the message to raise awareness of the hazard or threat.
What will they be used for?
Emergency alerts will be used to inform people about severe threats to life in particular areas, such as flooding or wildfires. They will not be used to spam you.
Are emergency alerts free?
Emergency alerts are a free service provided by the UK Government.
How accessible are they?
If you have a vision or hearing impairment, audio and vibration attention signals will let you know you have an emergency alert. Emergency alerts will be sent in English. In Wales, they may also be sent in Welsh. People in all parts of the UK will receive them.
Which devices will receive them?
Emergency alerts work on all 4G and 5G phone networks widely used by smartphones. This will not include older ‘non-smart’ phones but the 3G technology that they use is being switched off next year. If you do not have a compatible device, you’ll still be informed about an emergency as the emergency services have other ways to warn you when there is a threat to life.
What shall I do when I receive the National Test Message on April 23rd?
When you receive the Welcome Message you do not need to take any action. The siren will stop automatically after ten seconds. A welcome message will stay on screen until you acknowledge it, just like a ‘low battery’ warning. It will not affect your battery life.
How can I opt out of emergency alerts?
You can opt out of emergency alerts, but you are advised to keep them switched on for your own safety. To opt out, search your settings for ‘emergency alerts’. Then turn off ‘severe alerts’ and ‘extreme alerts’. If you still get alerts, contact your device manufacturer for help. You will not receive alerts if your device is turned off or in airplane mode.
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