Cleopatra Posted August 16, 2011 Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 A former welsh businessman who was jailed for 21 years for a multi million pound drug smuggling offence and a separate eight year sentence for failing to comply with a four and half million pound confiscation order, has failed to return to the prison (suprise! suprise!) after being allowed a three day temporary release. Now that was not the first time this man went on the run. Days before being due to appear in court regarding swindling 115 people out of their savings, he fled to Spain. So who was the idiot who approved this criminal's temporary release? Is he still in office and why!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted August 16, 2011 Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 Complete and utter madness and for once I'm completely stuck for words !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted August 16, 2011 Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 Yet another example of "the lunatics running the asylum" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inky pete Posted August 16, 2011 Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 How far through his sentence was he? Temporary release was originally designed for prisoners close to the end of their sentences so they could look for somewhere to live, look for a job, meet with their probabtion officer, and re-connect with family prior to final release - rather than just assume that the prison had a "magic gate" and that everything would be alright if someone walked through it for the first time in years or decades without any preparation. Generally, such prisoners were considered to be a very low risk of not returning to jail to complete the last little bit of their sentence so they could then walk out free, rather than go on the run and have to keep running forever. In recent years, however, I've heard of prisoners being granted temporary release for home visits when they have very significant portions of their sentences still to serve. It's all to do with the good old Human Rights Act and it's insistence on a right to a family life. It seems to completely elude the do-gooders that any prisoner with significant financial resources and a large number of years left to serve is highly unlikely to return to jail on schedule! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleopatra Posted August 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 I believe he was five years into his sentence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inky pete Posted August 16, 2011 Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-14543802 Would have been eligible to apply for release on parole at the halfway point (10 1/2 years, assuming the additional 8 year sentence was running concurrently, or at 14 1/2 years if not), so he still had a minimum of somewhere between 5 and 9 years to go. Oh, and £4 million proceeds of crime stashed away somewhere. Plus experience of travelling on a false passport. Not sure I'd have gone back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted August 16, 2011 Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 So the bloke gets a 3 day temporary release 5 years into his 21+ year sentence. CLEVER !! I don't blame him for taking his chances and doing a runner. He must have being laughing his head off at them as if they are that stupid to allow him 'leave' chances are they are stupid enought not to find him too Was the decision maker one of his former ostriches... head in the sand and and all that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted August 16, 2011 Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 We will never know who granted this release and whoever it was will quietly retire with a nice golden goodbye in his back pocket...... something the public sector are very very good at doing. Mind you, when you look at the mess the government made of getting rid of that shoestring woman who was in charge when baby P died it is no wonder.... "give them a million and they will say nowt and it won't cost us in court" seems to be the way they look at things Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted August 16, 2011 Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 Perhaps he should have been ham strung after his first escape or they could bring back the ball and chain - oops forgot, the EHRC! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Sid Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 We will never know who granted this release and whoever it was will quietly retire with a nice golden goodbye in his back pocket In a plain brown envelope curtesy off the escapee I wonder? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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