A Bolton man, recalled to prison, appeals to the justice secretary for help amid concerns over his indefinite sentence.
Bolton: A man named Matthew Booth is on the run after being recalled to prison indefinitely. He’s reaching out to the justice secretary for help.
Booth, 33, is wanted by the police for a crime he committed when he was just 15. He’s been recalled due to an indefinite imprisonment for public protection, which means he can be sent back to prison without warning if he breaks any rules.
His original conviction was for wounding someone with intent to cause serious harm. He hit a guy with a brick during a fight and also stamped on someone’s head. He was sentenced to a minimum of two years and seven months but was released in 2013.
Since then, he’s been back in prison three times, but two of those times didn’t even lead to charges. Now, he’s in trouble again for allegedly rekindling a relationship with his ex, Abigail Vernon, without telling the authorities. They have two daughters together, aged 10 and 7.
Booth and Vernon both deny the accusations. They believe the Parole Board has the wrong idea about Booth being abusive, which he isn’t. Before Christmas, Booth shared that he was stuck between two tough choices: spending the holidays alone in the woods or going back to prison.
He mentioned, “I haven’t done anything wrong since my original crime. This whole IPP thing feels messed up.” He’s worried that if he turns himself in, he’ll just end up back in prison, which he finds really daunting.
He’s trying to make the best of a tough situation, sending Christmas cards to his kids while figuring out how to survive the cold. Some days, he thinks about turning himself in, but it’s a hard decision.
Booth believes that if the justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, could assure him he wouldn’t go straight back to prison, he’d hand himself in right away. IPP sentences were scrapped in 2012 due to human rights issues, but many people still find themselves recalled for minor breaches.
After his release in 2013, Booth met Vernon. He faced more legal troubles in 2018 and was sent back to prison. He’s been recalled twice more for arrests that didn’t lead to charges, which has kept him locked up longer than expected.
Vernon is pleading for Booth to be allowed to stay in the community, saying, “If he goes back to prison, it’ll take another year for him to get out. Our daughters miss him so much. They don’t understand why he’s not around.”
Shirley Debono, who supports Booth and Vernon, is urging Mahmood to step in and prevent Booth from going back to prison. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the prison service stated that offenders on license must follow strict rules, and if there are safety concerns, they will be recalled.
