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A coroner has revealed a prisoner serving an abolished indefinite sentence took his own life after learning the government had rejected proposals to resentence IPP prisoners.
In his suicide note, Sean Davies, 30, blamed the hopelessness of the controversial Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences, which were scrapped in 2012 amid human rights concerns.
But the abolition of the policy did not affect those already sentenced, leaving thousands trapped in jail for years beyond their original prison terms.
These include Mr Davies, who said he hoped his death would trigger reform for almost 3,000 IPP prisoners languishing in jail with no hope of release.
In 2022 the cross-party justice committee issued recommendations to the then-Tory government to resentence all remaining IPP prisoners – branding the sentences “irredeemably flawed”.
But former justice secretary Dominic Raab rejected their proposals in February 2023.
After hearing the news that the government had rejected the recommendation, Mr Davies took his own life inside medium security HMP Swaleside in Kent.
He refused to participate in further psychological assessment at the specialist unit where he was being held after he was informed of the government’s rejection on 10 February 2023 and died around two weeks later.
Mr Davies, who was handed a five-year minimum tariff for a violent offence in 2012, had served some 11 years at the time of his death.
In a Prevention of Future Deaths report sent to the Ministry of Justice, a senior coroner said there had been a lack of communication during staff handovers and insufficiently completed welfare checks on the night he died.
Patricia Harding, senior coroner for mid Kent and Medway, wrote: “Mr. Davies left a note stating that he had taken his own life because of the IPP sentence.
“He expressed frustration at the slow progress of his sentence, re-categorisation and concerns about how the parole board would view this and his past behaviour.
“He saw no chance of being released. He went on to say that he hoped that his death would contribute for them to change the laws of the IPP sentence.”
She noted HMP Swaleside was housing some 55 IPP prisoners, who are known to be at a higher risk of suicide and self-harm after 90 people have died by suicide as they lose hope of being released.
The report comes as a UN Special Rapporteur on Torture called for the recently elected Labour government to urgently reconsider a resentencing exercise.
Lambasting the scandal which has left thousands of people to “languish without hope” in prison as “a terrible indictment” of the UK’s justice system, Dr Alice Jill Edwards appealed directly to the prime minister to end the injustice in remarks to The Independent on Tuesday.
“Given the crimes many IPP prisoners were originally convicted for, it is beyond belief that more than 2,700 prisoners remain detained without a release date despite IPP sentences being abolished in 2012,” she said.
“The UK justice system is meant to be an exemplar of the rule of law – that so many individuals languish without hope is a terrible indictment of the system.”
Tragic injustices highlighted by The Independent include Thomas White, who set himself alight after serving more than 12 years for stealing a mobile phone, and Abdullahi Suleman, who has spent 19 years behind bars for a laptop robbery.
Yusuf Ali has twice starved himself in desperation after serving 16 years after being handed a three-year minimum tariff.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Sean Davies.
“The Lord Chancellor is committed to working with organisations and campaign groups to ensure the appropriate course of action is taken to support those still serving rightfully abolished IPP sentences. We will consider the findings of this report in due course.”
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
