A dad has gone on the run to avoid being recalled to prison indefinitely under an Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence.
Matthew Booth, 33, from Bolton, faces returning to jail for allegedly restarting a relationship with the mother of his children without notifying probation officers - which is a requirement for his release.
This marks the 33-year-old's fourth potential recall to prison, despite not being convicted of any new offences since his initial release.
IPP sentences were introduced by Labour in 2003 as part of a tough-on-crime initiative.
Matthew Booth has now been recalled on four occasions
GMP
Offenders were given a minimum jail term but no maximum, leaving their release date uncertain until deemed safe by the Parole Board.
These sentences were abolished in 2012 due to human rights concerns.
However, the abolition was not retroactive, leaving thousands of prisoners, like Booth, trapped in the system.
Even after release, IPP prisoners face strict licence conditions, with minor breaches potentially resulting in an indefinite recall to prison.
Booth was initially sentenced at age 16 for wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and served six years before his first release in 2013.
Since then, he has been recalled three times. Once for criminal damage in 2018, resulting in seven months' imprisonment. Two other recalls followed arrests that led to no further action.
His most recent release was on November 22 last year, after serving one year and seven months.
Booth told The Independent: "I am getting recalled every single time for no charges, no crime. How am I doing years because someone said something about me?"
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David Blunkett introduced Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences in 2003
PA
The mother of his two children, Abigail Vernon, added: "He's still being punished for something he did when he was 15 years old. Every time he gets out and starts building his life back up again it gets taken away."
The repeated recalls have taken a significant toll on Booth's family life and mental health.
"I can't do it. I can't go there again and miss my children and not see my kids from inside prison," Booth said.
He described the IPP sentence as having "ruined my life" and left him feeling hopeless.
"My mental health is seriously bad. I am worried about everything right now," he added.
Vernon also expressed frustration with the ongoing situation.
She said: "These IPP sentences – it's just never-ending. Even when he's out he lives in fear of going back."
She strongly denies allegations of past abuse, which are cited as reasons for Booth's strict licence conditions.
"Any relationship he enters into he has to let them know, but we aren't in a relationship," she clarified, calling the recall "1,000 per cent" unfair.
Campaigner Shirley Debono, co-founder of IPP Committee in Action, has called on the justice secretary to intervene in Booth's case.
She highlighted the trauma of indefinite recalls on prisoners and their families.
"The reason they go on the run is because they need to get their head around it," Debono said.
"They usually hand themselves in eventually because it's not very nice being on the run. But it's traumatic for IPPs when they are getting recalled."
A HM Prison and Probation Service spokesperson defended the recall system, stating: "Offenders released on licence are subject to strict conditions and as the public would rightly expect, they are recalled to prison if there are concerns for the safety of those in the community."
