A man who has spent more than two decades behind bars after receiving an indefinite sentence for stealing a mobile phone is finally set to be released from prison.
Leroy Douglas, now 44, was jailed in December 2005 after committing a street robbery in Cardiff in which he stole a friend’s Nokia phone while struggling with drug addiction.
He was given an Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence with a minimum tariff of two-and-a-half years.
However, unlike an ordinary determinate sentence, an IPP had no automatic release date. Douglas could remain imprisoned after completing his minimum term until the Parole Board was satisfied that the risk he posed could be safely managed in the community.
Two decades later, he is now expected to be released in October 2026 into specialist accommodation under strict licence conditions.
More than 20 years behind bars
Douglas was 24 when he was sentenced and had previous convictions, largely involving theft and shoplifting linked to his drug addiction.
His index robbery was described as non-violent, but the sentencing judge imposed an IPP under legislation introduced the same year.
Douglas completed his minimum tariff years ago but remained imprisoned under the public-protection provisions.
During his time behind bars, he is reported to have completed 36 rehabilitation courses and overcome his drug addiction.
His family says he has also been transferred between more than 30 prisons, with the repeated moves disrupting rehabilitation programmes and forcing him to wait for courses required as part of efforts to demonstrate reduced risk.
Questions raised over alleged error in his record
Concerns have also been raised about information previously used when assessing his suitability for release.
A 2020 Parole Board review reportedly referred to his offending having “escalated” in 2003 and cited an alleged four-year robbery sentence.
However, Douglas’s supporters dispute that account and say he was already serving a separate prison sentence throughout that period.
The case has subsequently attracted international attention, including scrutiny from the United Nations.
Controversial IPP sentences abolished
IPP sentences were introduced in 2005 for offenders considered to pose a significant risk to the public.
Although prisoners were given a minimum tariff, they could only be released once the Parole Board was satisfied that their risk could be safely managed.
The system became deeply controversial amid cases of prisoners remaining incarcerated for many years beyond their original minimum terms.
The Government abolished IPP sentences for new offences in 2012, but the change was not retrospective, leaving people already serving them subject to the original regime.
Daughter died while he was in prison
Douglas’s imprisonment has meant he missed two decades of family life, including the upbringing of his youngest daughter.
His other daughter died in 2021 at the age of 19 while he remained behind bars.
His sister Natalie said: “He did commit petty theft, but that’s not worthy of 20 years behind bars.
“He stole from cars, like smashing windows, but nothing like violent. He hasn’t got one violent bone in his body.
“He’s fit for release. He was fit for release a long time ago, so I don’t understand why they’ve kept him in so long.
“It makes me feel very angry because for 20 whole years, he’s been locked up in jail when he should have been out a very long time ago for stealing a mobile phone.”
Douglas is expected to be released into specialist accommodation and remain subject to licence restrictions, reportedly including GPS monitoring and a curfew.
His case is among those that have fuelled continuing calls for the Government to resolve the position of prisoners who remain subject to abolished IPP sentences.
