Family plea for IPP prisoner after he set himself alight
The Independent|November 01, 2024
A prisoner who set himself alight in his cell after serving 12 years for stealing a mobile phone under an indefinite jail term is still fighting to be moved to a hospital.
AMY-CLARE MARTIN
Family plea for IPP prisoner after he set himself alight

Thomas White has developed severe mental health problems in prison as he languishes under a since-abolished imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentence.

Earlier this year, the father of one set himself alight in his cell in desperation as he lost hope of ever being freed.

Two medical reports shared with The Independent this summer laid bare the toll of the devastating jail term on the prisoner, who suffers psychosis and religious delusions, as medics warned his “lengthy incarceration” was creating “impermeable barriers” to his recovery.

However, over two months later, his heartbroken sister is still campaigning for him to be transferred to a hospital as he prepares to undergo yet another psychiatric assessment today.

Clara White has begged the Ministry of Justice to move her brother to a hospital to get the care he needs amid fears that “it is only a matter of time” before he makes another attempt on his life.

She told The Independent his condition has deteriorated yet further as he refuses medication in prison and is now being dosed by injection, adding: “It’s criminal what the state has been doing to my brother and the poor families.

This story is from the November 01, 2024 edition of The Independent.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the November 01, 2024 edition of The Independent.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE INDEPENDENTView All
England's extreme selection adds to changing Test tides
The Independent

England's extreme selection adds to changing Test tides

You may have missed it, but Test cricket is really fun at the moment.

time-read
4 mins  |
November 27, 2024
Return to Galacticos model changes Real for the worse
The Independent

Return to Galacticos model changes Real for the worse

Florentino Perez may have been keen to grandstand at Real Madrid’s general assembly on Sunday, but some of his stars have been more concerned with just standing still. Almost literally.

time-read
5 mins  |
November 27, 2024
City squander three-goal lead as team self-destructs
The Independent

City squander three-goal lead as team self-destructs

At least it was not a sixth successive defeat.

time-read
4 mins  |
November 27, 2024
ACCLAIMING NORA
The Independent

ACCLAIMING NORA

As the reality of another four years of Trump begins to set in, Robert McCrum suggests Nora Ephron’s comforting world of witty prose and whirlwind romances can help us through

time-read
5 mins  |
November 27, 2024
Disabled people are terrified of Starmer's welfare reforms
The Independent

Disabled people are terrified of Starmer's welfare reforms

“People are just frightened. There is no sense that the state in Britain is going to support us if we get into trouble. In fact, it’s the opposite.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 27, 2024
Trump will change his tune on tariffs once in power
The Independent

Trump will change his tune on tariffs once in power

According to Donald Trump, the most beautiful word in the dictionary” is tariff”.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 27, 2024
We can't separate God from the assisted dying argument
The Independent

We can't separate God from the assisted dying argument

As Friday’s Commons vote on assisted dying draws closer, the debate surrounding it, which has so far focused on issues about the terminally ill, pain, personal autonomy, the ethics of killing, and care, seems to have moved from respectful dialogue to becoming more fraught and personal.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 27, 2024
Five rescued 24 hours after yacht capsized in Red Sea
The Independent

Five rescued 24 hours after yacht capsized in Red Sea

Search continues for seven people, including two Britons

time-read
2 mins  |
November 27, 2024
Pakistan authorities launch operation to clear Islamabad
The Independent

Pakistan authorities launch operation to clear Islamabad

Move follows clashes in the capital between police and supporters of Imran Khan which have left six people dead

time-read
3 mins  |
November 27, 2024
World's oldest man dies at 112, 'surrounded by love'
The Independent

World's oldest man dies at 112, 'surrounded by love'

John Tinniswood was born in 1912, the year the Titanic sank

time-read
2 mins  |
November 27, 2024