Bury dad given IPP sentence for robbing phone finally sees son again

Thomas White, from Bury, was given an imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentence in 2012 after the robbery.

IPPs were a type of indeterminate sentence courts could impose after being introduced by the Criminal Justice Act 2003.

Nearly 3,000 prisoners, many of whom are very low-level offenders, remain in prisons today on such sentences.

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Thomas, who is said to have a history of committing petty crimes, was ordered to serve a minimum of two years, only a few months before IPPs were abolished.

In the 12 years since his imprisonment, he has been deprived of spending any time with his 14-year-old son Kayden, with the prison consistently citing concerns about Thomas’ mental health.

Lord David Blunkett, a former Home Secretary and original architect of the IPP sentence who since admitted “he got it wrong”, met with Kayden and Clara White, Thomas’ sister, in the House of Lords in March, and pledged his support to help make a reunion happen.

Clara and Kayden White with a picture of Thomas White (Image: Clara White)

Kayden White meeting Lord David Blunkett (Image: Clara White)

And Thomas has now met up with Kayden for the first time since he was a baby.

Kayden jumped out of his seat and gave his dad, described as “the best hugger in the world”, a hug which lasted for many minutes during the prison visit last Thursday.

Kayden with his grandmother Margaret after the visit (Image: Margaret White)

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There was not a "dry eye in the room", according to Margaret White, Thomas’ mother and Kayden’s grandmother, who went along for the emotional visit.

Thomas commented on how tall Kayden is and their “lanky similarities".

Margaret said: “It is a day my family never thought would come.

“Thomas and Kayden have finally been allowed to see each other after all these years. There was not a dry eye in the room.

“We are over the moon that Thomas and Kayden can start to build a normal father-son relationship, but our fight for justice has to continue.

“My son remains locked up in prison alongside nearly 3,000 other IPP prisoners who are being psychologically tortured by a sentence that was supposedly abolished 12 years ago.

“I feel like I’m watching a slow suicide and I pray that authorities can please help before it’s too late.”

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Thomas’ family are urgently asking for him to be transferred to a psychiatric hospital where he can access appropriate mental health treatment after receiving a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia.

Lord Blunkett and Bury North MP James Daly have both pledged their support to the family on this mission.

Two hospitals in the Greater Manchester area have reportedly rejected a bed for Thomas in the last six months despite his worsening mental health.

In February, 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 per cent 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.”