A man who was jailed at age 17 for stealing a bicycle has given up hope of being released, his family has said. Wayne Bell, now 29, received an Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence in 2007 for robbing a boy of his bike in Withington, Manchester. He was told he would serve a minimum of four years.
Bell's father, Carl, said his son has been repeatedly turned down for release by the Parole Board, partly because he has been unable to access courses for anger management due to oversubscription. He added that his son became an 'easy target' for other inmates, leading to fights that further hampered his release.
IPP sentences were introduced in 2005 and abolished in 2012 after being used more widely than intended, including for low-level crimes. At their peak, 6,080 IPP prisoners were held in England and Wales. As of June 2018, 2,489 remained in custody.
Bell's father called on the government to release his son, saying the abolition of IPPs came too late. Withington MP Jeff Smith said the case highlights that IPPs were 'completely unsatisfactory.' The Parole Board said it is working to progress cases as quickly as possible, while the Ministry of Justice stated that all prisoners who have served their tariff can apply for release if they are no longer a threat.
