A man who has been serving a controversial indefinite prison sentence is set to reunite with his son after 12 years apart.
Thomas White, who was handed an IPP (Imprisonment for Public Protection) sentence in 2012 for stealing a mobile phone, has not seen his son, Kayden, since he was nine months old.
White, 40, was handed a two-year minimum jailsentence under IPP, four months before the sentences were abolished – but remains in prison 12 years later.
However, following an intervention from Lord Blunkett – who introduced IPPs when he was home secretary back in 2003 – Mr White has been granted permission to see his son later this month.
Mr White’s sister, Clara White, said the meeting was a “victory” for her family – but they had to “take the law into their own hands” to see change.
“Our prayers have been answered,” she told Sky News.
“Campaigning on IPP – I wouldn’t wish it on anybody. I don’t think anyone would want to walk in our shoes, it’s been a tireless job.
“Although I am happy, I still feel bitterness about what was allowed to happen and that no legal team would help us. We took the law into our own hands to see the man who was the architect of this sentence to help us. I had no other choice.”
Advertisement
IPP is a prison sentence with no release date that was intended for serious violent and sexual offenders who posed a significant risk of serious harm to the public but whose crimes did not warrant a life term.
In 2012 they were abolished, but the change was not applied retrospectively, leaving2,852 IPP prisoners behind bars, including 1,227 who have never been released.
Last month, Ms White travelled to London with her nephew to meet Lord Blunkett, the architect of IPP who has expressed “deep regret” over how they were implemented.
Ms White thanked Lord Blunkett and said he was “very sympathetic” adding: “He listened with great compassion.”
“What’s happened now doesn’t make it right,” she said. “Kayden and Thomas can’t recapture those years – they have to pick up now and start their relationship now.”
Lord Blunkett’s intervention in Mr White’s case comes as the House of Lords is set to vote on a series of amendments to the government’s Victims and Prisoners Bill later this month.
One amendment, tabled by Baroness Fox of Buckley, is calling for a resentencing of the remaining IPP population.
Ms White urged peers in the House of Lords to back Baroness Buckley’s amendment, saying: “IPP has not just had an effect on prisoners mentally, it has had an effect on the families and we have all been punished and served a sentence.
“It’s a wreckage and they should help us clear it up now.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “We have reduced the number of unreleased IPP prisoners by three-quarters since we scrapped the sentence in 2012, with a 12% fall in the last year alone where the Parole Board deemed prisoners safe to release.
“We have also taken decisive action to curtail licence periods and continue to help those still in custody to progress towards release including improving access to rehabilitation programmes and mental health support.”
A judge in Nigeria reportedly adjourned proceedings in a case against Binance and two executives until May 17 to allow lawyers to review certain documents.
Ex-finance secretary Kate Forbes had been tipped to join him, but has since announced she does not intend to stand and will throw her support behind Mr Swinney.
Who is John Swinney?
Edinburgh-born Mr Swinney has spent a year on the backbenches after he stepped down as deputy first minister when Nicola Sturgeon resigned in 2023.
The 60-year-old first joined the SNP in 1979 at the age of 15. He became a prominent figure in the party’s youth wing before climbing the ranks to become the SNP’s national secretary at the age of 22.
Mr Swinney has been an MSP since the Scottish parliament’s inception in 1999, serving North Tayside, and previously representing the same constituency at Westminster in 1997.
Advertisement
The Perthshire North MSP, who was also finance secretary under Alex Salmond’s government, is said by his supporters to have the experience needed to lead the country following Mr Yousaf’s departure.
He took over from Mr Salmond as SNP leader in 2000, but resigned in 2004 following poor European parliament election results.
Under Ms Sturgeon, he occupied several ministerial offices, including education secretary, COVID-19 recovery secretary and again in finance – taking over from Kate Forbes during her maternity leave.
During his time as Ms Sturgeon’s deputy, he cemented his reputation as a dogged defender of his boss, as well as an SNP stalwart.
However, he faced two close no-confidence votes in Holyrood, first over the handling of school exams during the pandemic, and then his initial refusal to publish legal advice during the inquiry into the botched handling of harassment complaints against Mr Salmond.
He ruled himself out of the 2023 leadership race to replace Ms Sturgeon, citing that he had to put his young family first.
Within hours of Mr Yousaf’s resignation, several senior figures within the SNP voiced their support for Mr Swinney, including the party’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, education secretary Jenny Gilruth, and MPs Pete Wishart, Ian Blackford and Alyn Smith.
Announcing his intention to enter the SNP leadership race, Mr Swinney admitted that his party is “not as cohesive as it needs to be” to achieve its goal of Scottish independence.
He added: “I believe I have the experience, the skills, and I command the trust and the confidence of people across this country to bring the SNP back together again and get us focused on what we do best – uniting Scotland, delivering for the people and working to create the best future for our country.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
2:00
John Swinney announcing his leadership bid. Pic: PA
Follow Sky News on WhatsApp
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
If elected, Mr Swinney said he wants Ms Forbes to “play a significant part” in his government.
He said: “She is an intelligent, creative, thoughtful person who has much to contribute to our national life. And if elected, I will make sure that Kate is able to make that contribution.”
Spreaker
This content is provided by Spreaker, which may be using cookies and other technologies.
To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies.
You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Spreaker cookies or to allow those cookies just once.
You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options.
Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Spreaker cookies.
To view this content you can use the button below to allow Spreaker cookies for this session only.