Teenager jailed for 2 years over fire in empty building still locked up 18 years later

Exclusive: IPP prisoner Liam Bennett, now 36, has spent more than half of his life in prison as he pleas for a chance at freedom

Liam Bennett, now 36, was 17 when he was handed an IPP sentence (Supplied)

A prisoner has spent more than half of his life in jail for starting a fire in the attic of an empty building aged 17 under an abolished indefinite jail term.

Liam Bennett, now 36, told The Independent “I deserve my chance” at freedom, adding that he still dreams of a normal life as he languishes without a release date. 

He was handed a controversial Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence in 2006 following the blaze, which caused £3,000 of damage but left no one hurt.

He was told he must serve a minimum of two years and 82 days for arson but is still trapped almost two decades later until a parole board deems him safe for release.

Speaking out as politicians prepare to debate whether more than 2,600 prisoners should be resentenced, Mr Bennett insisted: “I have changed so much in 18 years, I have learned so much, I’m confident I will take my chance with release and run with it.”

Inside HMP Ranby, Nottinghamshire, his weight has plummeted to 9 stone despite being 6ft 3 and has sometimes turned to drugs to cope with the possibility of never being released – especially following a recent parole knock-back.

IPP prisoner Liam Bennett has not been released in 18 years after he was handed a two year and 82 day tariff (Supplied)

He said he is faced with daily instances of violence, widespread drug use and fights on his wing at the Category C men’s prison.

“I have been in prison now for nearly 18 years off a two-year tariff, I deserve my chance of release,” he said. “How can it be fair to not have a release date?”

He called for drastic change to help IPP inmates like him left “rotting away” in prisons. He said his crimes, which also included criminal damage and burglary, were committed when he had “no structure” and his life had descended into law-breaking – but now he wants to build an independent life on the outside.

“After being in prison for 18 years I will be looking forward to living a normal life,” he said. “I will be happy to live out the rest of my life with my partner, it’s just having the chance to do it.”

The government has so far refused calls to resentence 2,694 IPP prisoners still incarcerated under the abolished jail term, which saw offenders given a minimum tariff but no maximum, sometimes for even minor crimes.

They have been branded “psychological torture” by a human rights expert after it was revealed that at least 90 IPP prisoners have taken their own lives.

It’s ruined his life. Murderers are coming out before him

Liam Bennett’s mother Gillian

A private members bill for resentencing, tabled by Labour 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 IPP sentences on prisoners and their families was “inexcusable” as he called for the government to put right their mistake so inmates can have a release date to work towards.

His mother Gillian, 58, from Dudley, told The Independent: “It’s ruined his life. Murderers are coming out before him.

“It has been very hard, he’s lost members of the family, I have gone through cancer. It’s heartbreaking to be honest.”

She said he had missed out on too many special birthdays and the arrival of his nieces and nephews, adding that having him home would be “all my Christmases come true”.

UN special rapporteur on torture Dr Alice Jill Edwards has described IPP jail terms as ‘psychological torture’ (UN Human Rights Council screengrab)

His father David Aston, 63, said he has been denied quality time with his son for 18 years while 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 kids and family of his own,” he added. “They have ruined his life at the end of the day.”

In a ruling in 2019, three senior judges concluded his jail sentence had been lawfully imposed at the time but expressed concern that he was still in secure conditions so long after his tariff had expired.

The panel of appeal judges, including Sir Brian Leveson, warned the risk of institutionalisation appeared to have become counterproductive to Mr Bennett’s rehabilitation.

“It may be that he needs to be given the chance to prove that he can behave in conditions of reduced security and so be encouraged to progress to ultimate release,” they said. However, he remains unreleased five years later.

Justice secretary Shabana Mahmood has said the government is not looking at resentencing IPP prisoners (PA Wire)

Campaigner Bernadette Emerson, who co-founded IPP Committee in Action, added: “Resentencing needs to go ahead because people like Liam are caught in a trap of continuous incarceration. He’s too many years over tariff, it’s not fair.”

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “It is right that IPP sentences were abolished and we recently terminated the lifetime licences 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 all IPP prisoners are considered for release by the Parole Board at least once every two years.”