Dad who stole mobile finally released into hospital after 13 years in prison
Thomas White is to be transferred to a secure hospital from Strangeways prison in Manchester after a long campaign, following his arrest aged 27 in 2012 for stealing a mobile phone
A man who has spent 13 years in prison for stealing a mobile phone has finally been released into hospital care after a six-year fight.
Dad-of-one Thomas White, 42, last year set himself on fire and months ago tried to break his own legs in jail as his mental health deteriorated while serving an indefinite term under an abolished law.
White fell victim to the Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) scheme, which was brought in by the last Labour government in 2005 but was later described as 'psychological torture' by the UN. It was intended for people considered 'dangerous' but whose offence did not merit a life sentence.
Offenders were given a minimum jail term but no maximum and the law was scrapped in 2012 because of human rights concerns. But it was not altered retrospectively, meaning thousands of inmates have remained languishing in jail beyond their original prison terms.
White now suffers with schizophrenia and psychosis, with his family saying doctors attributed his declining mental health to the indefinite sentence. Spearheaded by his sister Clara, a near-decade-long campaign has fought to have him moved to a hospital.
Clara received a phone call on Wednesday notifying her that her younger brother will finally be transferred from HMP Manchester to the specialist medium secure Rothbury unit at Northgate Park in Northumberland.
Two Independent doctors, as was required, agreed he should be moved and the confirmation of the transfer means the Ministry of Justice has now also approved the change.
'I called my mum and my sister and they both cried tears of joy, we all did,' Clara, 43, told the Mirror. "It's been six years on the battlefield to try and get him moved to a hospital. It's not yet dropped from my head to my heart.
'Every morning I pray that this will be the day we will hear positive news. Yesterday (Wednesday) morning, my brother was facing the rest of his life in prison, and by the afternoon he was going to be a patient, not a prisoner, any more. I prayed again this morning (Thursday) for good news, before realising we received it yesterday. It's been such a long, difficult process.'
White, who had previous convictions for theft, was handed an IPP sentence with a two-year tariff for robbery just four months before the sentences were outlawed. Then aged 27, he had been binge-drinking when he took the phone from two Christian missionaries in Manchester.
Clara said her brother started to show signs of schizophrenia in 2016, when he walked around in a bedsheet presenting himself as Jesus. That came, she said, after long periods in segregation where he had only his Bible for company. 'It broke him in the end,' said Clara.
Eventually a psychiatrist told the family that his schizophrenia and hallucinations were as a result of his IPP sentence and not knowing when he would be released, Clara said. White has spent the past four months on a hospital ward after he repeatedly smashed his face on the prison wing's floor, before trying to break his own legs during a psychotic episode.
Clara has been backed in her campaign by Pastor Mick Fleming, a reformed gangster. They say there have been almost 100 suicides of IPP prisoners and more than 300 have died, some from heart attacks and stress-related illnesses, and some from accidental drug overdoses.
While of 2,614 people still incarcerated on an IPP jail term, almost 700 have served at least 10 years longer than their original minimum term. 'Some of these men and women have served so long they've lost touch with their families,' said Clara.
'We've ended up with a human traffic jam with these poor people falling through the net. Thomas was one of 300 inmates with severe mental health problems. There are 299 more Thomas Whites still.'
White has spent his sentence in 13 different prisons, and will be taken in the coming days from HMP Manchester, also known as Strangeways. 'He keeps asking me if it's really true, if it's really happening, and he's worrying they'll take him to HMP Frankland in County Durham instead,' said Clara. 'Hope has been stolen from him for that long that he no longer knows what it is.'
Pastor Mick, whose book Walk in My Shoes features Thomas and Carla's story, said they will now campaign for the other 299 in the same situation as Thomas. 'With Thomas we have created a pathway, and now we're going to go back for the rest,' he said.
After a year-long inquiry in 2022, the Justice Select Committee found the IPP sentences were 'Irredeemably flawed' and recommended the government re-sentence all IPP prisoners. The government has since made the decision not to review open-ended prison sentences.
Clara and other campaigners for IPP prisoners, including the group UNGRIPP, are working with MP Sir Bob Neill, chair of the Justice Select Committee, to push a bill through parliament that will ensure all prisoners still on IPP sentences are resentenced, which - given that many have served their minimum tariffs multiple times over - would likely lead to release.
'The eyes are a mirror to the soul,' said Clara. 'His eyes tell me how much pain he's been in. I know this is not a straight release but to know he will be sent to the hospital and has a chance at living, rather than dying in prison, is something to celebrate right now.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
12 minutes ago
- The National
I was at the protest for Palestine Action – this is what happened
It was a strange scene when one considered that in precisely a week's time, this gathering would be categorically illegal. Expressing support for the group, which last week broke into RAF Brize Norton and damaged planes, will become a criminal offence carrying a 14-year prison sentence. Wearing clothes or holding banners reading 'We are all Palestine Action', as some protesters in Trafalgar Square did, will also be a crime. Quite how ludicrous that situation is was laid bare on Monday during a peaceful demonstration demanding the Government reverse its stance. Supporters of Palestine Action who came out to central London were plainly not terrorists. They chanted, they got in minor skirmishes with the police, they banged drums; they are a million miles away from Daesh or Al-Qaeda. But in the eyes of the law, as of next week, Palestine Action will be considered equivalent to those organisations. (Image: Jeff Moore) Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called the group's proscription a 'draconian assault on the democratic attempt to protest – and is a disgraceful attempt to hide the real meaning of violence: the mass murder of Palestinians'. He added: 'The UK Government is complicit in genocide and we see this latest move for what it is: an act of desperation from a government trying to shield itself from accountability.' Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie echoed those criticisms, saying: 'It's obviously absurd that throwing red paint on things could cause a group to be listed alongside Al Qaeda, Isis and Russia's Wagner Group, with membership carrying a 14-year prison sentence.' READ MORE: Arrests at Palestine Action protest as group to be proscribed He added: 'Labour's priorities are completely backwards – and will have devastating consequences for Palestinians under siege in Gaza and non-violent protesters here in the UK.' They were sentiments which found a voice at the protest, with demonstrators carrying signs expressing bemusement that arming a genocidal power was fine but campaigning to stop that was terrorism. (Image: Lucy North) That the protest, which lasted over three hours in 23C heat, passed without much incident was a credit to those involved. Some heavy-handed crowd control techniques employed by the police resulted in small scuffles and there were a few arrests that I witnessed. But given the circumstances, it would have been unsurprising had things properly kicked off. READ MORE: UK is not selectively applying international law, Labour minister insists Protesters found themselves in a farcical situation when they began to arrive at midday. The Metropolitan Police had imposed a large exclusion zone preventing the protest from taking place in Parliament, perhaps so as not to disturb a veterans' event taking place in New Palace Yard. Organisers chose Trafalgar Square as the alternative – but seemed dismayed to find on arrival that most of the space remained fenced off as crews took down the stage from West End Live, a theatre event which took place over the weekend. (Image: Lucy North) This resulted in the protest taking place mostly in the top right-hand corner of the square, which caused tension with the police who periodically decided they wanted to try and reopen the road, to little success until the end. One of the more absurd scenes came as pro-Israel agitators took refuge inside an abandoned bus parked outside St Martin-in-the-Fields Church. Quite how the situation with Palestine Action will pan out remains to be seen. If they become a cause celebre of the Palestine movement across the UK, will the police be able to enforce their proscription when campaigners deliberately voice their support to make a statement? In her statement to Parliament announcing her intention to ban Palestine Action, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said that the group had 'a footprint in all 45 policing regions in the UK' – suggesting that the crackdown might turn into a game of whack-a-mole. Cooper also said: 'It is vitally important that those seeking to protest peacefully, including pro-Palestinian groups, those opposing the actions of the Israeli government, and those demanding changes in the UK's foreign policy, can continue to do so.' Some protesters on Monday suggested that Palestine Action was being banned because of their successes in frustrating the Israeli war machine. In that case, the UK Government's message appears to be: You are allowed to protest, but you're not allowed to change things.
Metro
3 hours ago
- Metro
Manhunt for thief launched after £150,000 violin stolen from pub
A manhunt has been launched after a 285-year-old violin belonging to a member of the London Philharmonic Orchestra was stolen from a London pub. Scotland Yard released CCTV footage to try to and identify a suspect in the alleged theft of the 'priceless' instrument from The Marquess Tavern on Canonbury Street, Islington. Violinist David López Ibáñez, 30, told police it was worth more than £150,000 and was a loan for major concerts with the Philharmonia. The footage captured the moment a man with a light-coloured hat on allegedly snatches the violin in its black case from the north London boozer on February 18. The treasured violin was made by Florentine instrument maker Lorenzo Carcassi in 1740. It has a distinctive heart-shaped hole in the scroll and was kept in a black Riboni Unoeotto case, alongside three bows – including one with a mother-of-pearl tip – as well as white cotton bag made by David's late grandmother. David, originally from Spain, previously told Metro the 'rare' instrument they had played for eight years was 'worthless' to the thief, but 'priceless' to them. 'Instantly I felt like a part of me was gone,' they said. 'As a musician you have such a special bond with your instrument. It is a companion, it comes with you on your back all around the world.' They added: 'I moved to the UK to pursue a childhood dream of becoming a violinist and now my voice has been taken away from me. 'The violin sounds so in tune with me. I am so in tune with it. I feel like my life has been torn apart. I cannot fall asleep.' They said the loss was the 'stuff of nightmares'. 'There is nothing which could compare to this. This is up there with one of the worst things that can happen.' David has played the violin at London's most well-known concert venues, including Wigmore Hall, the Royal Festival Hall and Conway Hall. More Trending After the theft, the violinist has been forced to use a spare instrument in some performances. PC Michael Collins, from the Met's local policing team in Camden, told Metro: 'We've been working hard to try and locate the suspect and are releasing this CCTV in an effort to help identify them as soon as possible.' He added: 'It is incredibly precious, and for the victim, it's priceless. 'Please help us find the person responsible and have the violin returned to its rightful owner.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Three arrested after 'draconian' police clash with pro Palestinian protesters in London MORE: Family's plea for truth after man shot dead in 'case of mistaken identity' MORE: Moment officer tells Christian street preacher 'it's all wrong' outside station
The Independent
4 hours ago
- The Independent
More than two tonnes of crystal meth discovered in tourist boat
More than two metric tons of crystal methamphetamine have been seized from a tourist boat in eastern Thailand. Local authorities announced nearly 2.4 metric tons (2.6 tons) on Monday after they thwarted an attempt to smuggle the illicit drugs out of the country. Eight men were arrested on Saturday in Rayong province in connection with the operation. Officials stated the group was allegedly attempting to transport the narcotics through Thailand's southern border. The Department of Special Investigation estimates the seized drugs to be worth over 3 billion baht ($90.8 million) if sold abroad. The methamphetamine was discovered meticulously packed in plastic bags, each weighing approximately one kilogram, and disguised as corn flour packages. In addition to the drugs and arrests, authorities also confiscated a van and a truck believed to have been used in the smuggling attempt. Officials have not yet elaborated on the intended destination of the drugs or their origin. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra thanked officials for their efforts and told a press conference that 'the government is serious about our policies on drugs." United Nations experts have said neighboring Myanmar is the source of most of the region's methamphetamine and heroin. A report from the U.N. drug agency last month said the illicit trade in methamphetamine and other dangerous drugs is growing quickly in Southeast Asia, with a record level of seizures in 2024 — 236 tons — a 24 per cent increase over 2023. The 'Golden Triangle,' where the borders of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet, is famous for the production of opium and heroin, which flourished largely because of the remote location and lax law enforcement. In recent decades, methamphetamine has supplanted opium and heroin because it is easier to make on an industrial scale.
