Man given 21-month jail term in 2006 finally freed

A man has been freed from prison after spending 20 years behind bars after a court ruled his original sentence was imposed in error.

Luke Ings was 17 when he was sentenced in 2006 after admitting offences including a robbery in a Bracknell underpass and an assault on a teenager in a fast-food restaurant.

Although the 38-year-old was given a minimum tariff of 21 months, he was handed a detention for public protection (DPP) sentence, a type of indefinite sentence introduced for offenders considered a risk to the public.

On Wednesday, a judge quashed his original sentence, replaced it with a sentence of 42 months, and released him from custody.

The ruling follows years of campaigning by Ings' family.

Imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentences were abolished in 2012, having been made available to tackle offenders considered a significant risk to the public in 2005.

Unlike standard prison terms, IPP prisoners could remain in custody long after their tariffs expired if they were not considered safe for release. DPP sentences were the equivalent sentences for children.

Bracknell's current and former MPs welcomed Ings' release.

Sitting MP Peter Swallow said he and his staff had seen the "determination, hard work and persistence" Ings' family's had shown "in their fight for justice".

"My office and I will continue to offer our support as they look to move forward following this decision," he said.

"IPP sentences were a grave injustice and should never have been introduced."

James Sunderland, Bracknell's MP between 2019 and 2024, said he visited Ings in prison and "campaigned hard for his release". He said he was "delighted that this has now finally happened".

"Hopefully the government can now put the whole IPP nonsense to bed. I wish Luke well for whatever lies ahead," he added.

Mr Justice Choudhury made the decision to free Ings with magistrate Norma Grant at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

The judge described the failure of East Berkshire Youth Court to consider an alternative extended sentence as a "very serious error".

He said Ings' age at the time of the offences was a "critical factor" which should have been taken into account.

Ings was also freed alongside Liam Bennett, now also 38, who was given a DPP sentence at Wolverhampton Crown Court in May 2007.

Bennett was found guilty of reckless arson for setting fire to items in the loft space of an empty council property and admitted criminal damage and burglary.

Both cases were reviewed by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).