Freed after 20 years in jail for sentence imposed at 17

A man who spent 20 years in prison under an indefinite sentence imposed when he was 17 has been released after a court ruled the sentence was a ‘very serious error’, the BBC has reported. Luke Ings, from Bracknell, Berkshire, was sentenced in 2006 after admitting offences including robbery in an underpass and assaulting a teenager in a fast-food restaurant. His original sentence was 21 months, but he remained in custody under a detention for public protection (DPP) sentence until judges at Wolverhampton Crown Court quashed it earlier this month.

Speaking to the BBC’s Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Ings, now 38, described his new freedom as ‘surreal’ and said life outside prison was ‘amazing’. He hopes to find a job and settle into life outside custody.

The BBC reported that his case attracted attention from politicians and the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) after years of campaigning by his family. Ings thanked the CCRC team and the barristers who had worked on his case. He also acknowledged the impact of his offending.

‘What I did was wrong. I can’t take that back,’ he said. ‘I would like to apologise to the victims and let them know I am sorry.’ Ings has been offered temporary accommodation in London while he adjusts to life outside prison. He told the LDRS that he had spent the first week and a half getting used to everyday tasks, including opening a bank account and navigating social media.

His mother, Sam, said she had ‘never seen so many emotions in one room’ when the court announced its decision. ‘It is a shame Luke has lost 21 years of his life but we are so grateful for the [CCRC],’ she said.

Ings said one of the hardest aspects of his indefinite sentence had been not knowing whether he would see his family again or return home.