Pair charged with attempted murder on coast
in trouble for a string on minor crimes before being jailed, was among those who feels they had been left to rot behind bars.
Ministry of Justice data shows the number of IPP prisoners still being held since the sentences were abolished are over 3,000 and last year 553 were released.
The authorities admit the IPP sentence was widely criticised and “used far more widely than intended”. This is why it was replaced with a new regime of tough, determinate sentences, alongside life sentences for the most serious offenders.
Dad-of-12 Maurice added: “On July 18 it is Danny’s 29th birthday. We are asking if his conditions can be relaxed for the day so he can come home and we can have a party for him. He has had all his birth- day’s in prison and it will be nice for him and his mother to be together for his birthday.
“We are looking to throw a party for him with relatives there who haven’t seen him for almost 12 years. He would DANNY WEATHERSON love that and will help him get through the next three months before he moves back.”
Former Justice Secretary Elizabeth Truss said on IPP sentencing: “We need to be realistic that these prisoners on these sentences have committed serious crimes and that some are dangerous people. But there are others that have long served their minimum term and are committed to proving that they are safe for release.
“Of course, public protection must be the number one priority. But it seems unjust that someone sentenced in 2010 can remain in prison for years when – if sentenced today – they might have an automatic release date.
“That’s why it’s important we tackle the backlog of these cases that are waiting for a Parole Board hearing.” A MAN and woman have been charged with attempted murder after a seriously injured man was discovered at a coastal beauty spot.
A dog walker came across the man, who is in his 20s, at the side of a remote road near the beach at Cresswell in Northumberland on Monday morning.
He had suffered injuries described by police as “potentially life-changing” and was taken to the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care hospital in Cramlington in a critical condition.
On Saturday, Richard James Spottiswood, 33, of Canterbury Way, South Shields, and Lucy Burn, 29, of Burns Close, South Shields, were charged with attempted murder.
They are due to appear at South East Northumberland Magistrates’ Court on Monday morn- ing. Two other men who were arrested have been released under investigation.
The man was found 100 metres from the shore on the coastal road that runs parallel to the popular Northumberland beach, at just after 8am.
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Fairlamb of Northumbria Police’s Major Crime Team said: “A member of the public was walking down a ‘B’ road adjacent to the coast when he became aware of this young man.
“He contacted the ambulance service and the police who recovered this young man and took him to hospital where he remains in a critical condition. He is very, very poorly. He has not been able to speak to us.
“It is very unusual to find someone with such serious injuries in such a remote location.” Police at the scene of the incident south of Cresswell