by An inmate who started a fire in the attic of an empty building at the age of 17 has spent more than half his life in prison under an indefinite prison term that has been overturned.
Liam Bennett, who is now 36 years old, told The Independent “I’ve earned my chance” at freedom, adding that he still dreams of a normal life as he languishes without a release date.
He was controversially sentenced to a Public Protection Prison (IPP) in 2006, which has since been overturned amid human rights concerns, over the fire which caused £3,000 damage and left no one injured.
He was told he must serve a minimum of two years and 82 days for arson but is still being held almost two decades later until a parole board deems him safe for release.
Speaking as politicians prepared to debate whether more than 2,600 prisoners left behind bars should be sentenced to indefinite terms, Mr Bennett argued: “I’ve changed so much in 18 years, the I have learned so much, I am confident that I will accept it. my chance to let go and run with it.”
Inside HMP Ranby, Nottinghamshire, his weight has dropped to 9 stone despite being 6ft 3 as he struggles with no hope of release after a recent parole setback, sometimes turning to drugs.
He said he faces daily incidents of violence, widespread drug use and fights on his wing in the Category C men’s prison.
It has ruined his life. Murderers are coming out in front of him
Liam Bennett’s mother Gillian
“I’ve been in prison now for almost 18 years on a two-year tariff, I deserve my chance at release,” he said. “How can you be fair without having a release date?”
He called for massive change to help IPP prisoners like leaving him to “rot” in prisons. He said his crimes, which also included criminal damage and burglary, were committed when he had “no structure” and his life had become one of crime – but now he is trying to build an independent life on the outside.
“After being in prison for 18 years I will look forward to living a normal life,” he said. “I’ll be happy to spend the rest of my life with my partner, it’s just the opportunity to do it.”
The government has so far rejected calls to blood the 2,694 IPP prisoners still in prison under the abolitionist prison term, giving offenders a minimum tariff but no maximum rate, sometimes even for minor crimes.
A human rights expert branded them “psychological torture” after at least 90 IPP prisoners took their own lives as they lost hope of being released.
A private members’ sentencing bill, tabled by Labor peer Lord Woodley, will have its second reading in the House of Lords on Friday, but the government insists it still does not support the measure.
Mr Bennett said the impact of the prison term on prisoners and their families was “unacceptable” as he called on the government to correct their mistake so prisoners would have a release date to work towards.
His mother Gillian, 58, from Dudley, said The Independent: “He has ruined his life. Murderers are coming out in front of him.
“It’s been very difficult, he’s lost family members, I’ve had cancer. It’s heartbreaking to be honest.”
She said he missed too many special birthdays and the arrival of his nieces and nephews, adding that “all my Christmases would be real” if he was home.
His father David Aston, 63, said he has been denied quality time with his son for 18 years and the parole board refuses to give him a chance on the outside, where he hopes to work as a barber.
“He needs a chance to have his family and his own,” he said. “They’ve ruined his life at the end of the day.”
In a ruling in 2019, three senior judges concluded that his prison sentence was lawfully imposed at the time but expressed concern that he was still in safe conditions so long after his tariff had expired.
The panel of appeal judges, which included Sir Brian Leveson, warned that the risk of institutionalization appeared to be counterproductive to Mr Bennett’s rehabilitation.
“He may need to be given the opportunity to prove that he can behave under reduced security conditions and thus be encouraged to proceed to release,” they said. However, it remains unreleased five years later.
Campaigner Bernadette Emerson, who co-founded the IPP Committee in Action, said: “The sentence must go ahead because people like Liam are caught in a constant prison trap. He has spent too many years on the tariff, it is not fair.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “It is right that IPP sentences have been ended and we have recently ended the life licenses of 1,800 rehabilitated offenders.
“We are now exploring ways to improve access to mental health support and rehabilitation for those still in custody, and the Parole Board considers all IPP prisoners for release at least once every two years.”
