An inmate who staged a 12-hour protest on the roof of Strangeways prison will "face punishment", according to the Prison Service.
The inmate first climbed onto the roof of the prison, officially known as HMP Manchester, at around 4.30pm yesterday, Wednesday, April 12. Emergency services attended the scene and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) negotiators attempted to talk down the inmate.
A spokesperson for the force said the inmate, whose identity is currently unknown, "willingly came down from the roof" at around 4.15am this morning (Thursday). A Prison Service spokesperson said: "Staff safely resolved this incident and the prisoner will face punishment as disorder in prisons is not tolerated."
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The inmate was heard repeatedly shouting "free IPP" while standing on the prison roof, which is believed to be a reference to Imprisonment for Public Protection court sentences. The much-criticised indeterminate sentence, which detained offenders until they were no longer deemed a risk to the public, was scrapped in 2012.
However, many inmates remain behind bars who were previously given IPP sentences. Shortly after 8pm, the prisoner wrote "Free IPPz" on the roof.
A large crowd of onlookers gathered outside the prison, north of Manchester's city centre, to watch the protestor. He waved to the crowd of onlookers, made a love heart gesture to the press camera, and held up a metal pole.
GMP said the man had not threatened to harm himself or anyone else, but advised onlookers to avoid the area. A spokesperson said there was "believed to be no wider threat to the public".
As the night continued fireworks were set off by onlookers and the protestor led a series of chants. At one stage the inmate, who had been wearing a waterproof bin bag over his clothes, took off his jumper and started drying it.
Police closed off several roads around the prison and a North West Ambulance Service vehicle was also in attendance. All cordons were removed and the emergency services left at around 4.30am.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police told the Manchester Evening News: "At 4:15 am this morning (Thursday 13 April) the male prisoner willingly came down from the roof and is back in the custody of prison staff."
The prison – still known to many by its former name 'Strangeways' - is one of the country's largest high security, category A men's prisons. The jail, to the north of Manchester city centre, which has capacity for over 1,200 inmates including some of Liverpool and the North West's most notorious criminals, was rebuilt following the infamous Strangeways riot of April 1990 – the biggest disturbance in prison service history.
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