A father convicted of a mobile phone robbery 14 years ago is being returned to prison on an indefinite jail term described as “psychological torture”.
Thomas White, 43, previously set himself alight in desperation as his mental health crumbled on the open-ended jail term, which has been condemned by the United Nations (UN).
Last October, his family won a six-year fight for him to be transferred to a medium secure hospital for treatment. They have now learned he will be returned to a Category B prison “any day” after just nine months of care.
His sister, Pastor Clara White, fears his mental health will rapidly deteriorate back in prison without a release date, adding: “So his torture starts all over again.”
He was handed a controversial Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence for street robbery of a mobile phone in 2012. A judge told him he must serve a minimum of two years, but he has now been incarcerated for 14 years and four months, his family say.
The controversial open-ended punishments were scrapped in 2012, but not retrospectively, leaving thousands languishing in prison without a release date for years beyond their tariff, including some for minor crimes. Once released, many find themselves trapped in a cycle of indefinite recall for minor breaches of strict licence conditions.
White’s plight has formed part of a major complaint to the UN, which resulted in three special rapporteurs last week warning Britain is perpetrating “serious human rights violations” by failing to resentence almost 2,400 still trapped on the jail term.
A further 207 are serving their jail term in a secure hospital, often after their mental health deteriorated in prison, and 96 people have taken their own lives in custody.
In a strongly-worded intervention, the UN said the jail terms have left prisoners trapped in a cycle of “excessive punishment, repeated recall, deteriorating mental health, and diminishing hope”.
“These penalties involve prolonged uncertainty and cause serious psychological deterioration among prisoners, including an increased risk of self-harm and suicide. Such punishments may amount to psychological torture,” the human rights experts added.
Pastor White had long campaigned for her brother’s transfer to the unit in Northumberland – backed by The Independent – after he endured repeated mental health crises in prison, including setting himself alight and smashing his face on the cell floor.
After being told he would go back to prison, she told The Independent: “It’s like he’s just had a bit of respite and that’s about it.”
She continued: “Thomas will get very poorly very quickly when sent back because he hasn’t improved, he’s maybe slightly better.
“I don’t think nine months is enough for a man to unravel and to start trusting and start speaking.
“So you punish a man because he’s not fitting into your timescale of how long he should be there. So his torture starts all over again.”
His transfer back to prison will mark his fourteenth move in as many years after he was repeatedly transferred to prisons across the country.
Doctors at the secure unit have concluded White has a number of mental health conditions.
However two medical reports in 2024 laid bare the toll of the devastating IPP jail term on his mental health, warning that his “lengthy incarceration” was creating “impermeable barriers” to his recovery.
In an urgent plea to Andy Burnham’s new government and new justice secretary Alex Norris, Pastor White, she called for them to put right the “huge injustice”.
“The new government has an unprecedented opportunity to fix one of the greatest injustices that no other prime minister has been willing to address,” she added.
“I urge you to prioritise the IPP scandal – a wrongdoing that has contributed to the deaths of almost 100 IPP prisoners.
“My brother, Thomas White, has spent the last nine months as a patient in a forensic psychiatric hospital after years of suffering caused by the torture of the IPP sentence.
“In the coming days, Thomas is due to be returned to prison, as this brief respite from that inhumane system comes to an end. Thomas has now served more than 14 years in custody under an IPP sentence, despite receiving a tariff of just two years.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “It is right that IPP sentences were abolished, and as the IPP annual report shows, we have significantly improved support for these offenders.
“They are entitled to aftercare when they leave hospital and have greater access to rehabilitation and mental health support – helping them cope with life outside hospital.
“We are determined to make further progress towards safe and sustainable releases for those on this sentence, but not in any way that undermines public protection.”
