Teenager jailed for 18 months after fight in McDonald's is still in prison aged 36 and has no release date
A 36-year-old man who was jailed for 18 months after a fight in McDonald's when he was 17 is still behind bars.
Luke Ings was jailed for two robberies and two common assaults at a McDonald's restaurant in Bracknell in 2006.
Now 36, he remains inside maximum security HMP Wakefield, dubbed the 'Monster Mansion' for how many high-risk sex offenders and murderers are held there.
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The reason being, Ings was put on an indefinite jail term called the imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentence.
IPPs were previously given to serious offenders who posed a significant risk of serious harm to the public, before they were ditched in 2012 amid human rights concerns.
But for those who were given an IPP sentence before 2012, they are still stuck in prison under the conditions.
As of June 2023, there are 8,514 prisoners serving IPP and life sentences.
Ings' mother Samantha, 57, told The Independent: “It’s wrong, they need to sort this out.
“I understand if they had murdered someone or raped someone. My son was in a fight in McDonald’s and a street robbery.
“He was 17 years old and my mum had died two weeks before that. He went off the rails. I don’t know what else to do to get him out.
“There is no light at the end of the tunnel for him,” she said, adding that things would have been far worse if not for the help of her late father, who sadly did not live to see his grandson’s release.
Samantha, from Bracknell, Berkshire, added: “I think if it hadn’t been for my dad, Luke would not be in prison now – he would be dead. He would have killed himself.
“They seriously need to look at this. They will empty some of their prisons [if they release IPP prisoners].
“The only fear is some of them have been in there that long, are they going to be able to cope on the outside?”
Meanwhile, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “It is right that IPP sentences were abolished.
“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 IPP sentences.
“The Prison Service continues to provide additional support to those still in custody, including improving access to rehabilitation programmes and mental health support.”
LADbible Group has contacted the Ministry of Justice for additional comment.
Anish Vij