Two individuals serving indefinite sentences for public protection (IPPs) have been released from custody after each spending approximately two decades behind bars, despite receiving minimum terms of two years or less. A high court judge and magistrate, following a review by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), ordered their freedom and also quashed the indeterminate sentence imposed on a third man.
At Wolverhampton crown court on Wednesday, Mr Justice Choudhury told Luke Ings and Liam Bennett that their IPP sentences had been "cancelled". The judge replaced Bennett's indefinite term with a fixed four-year-and-264-day sentence, Ings's with 42 months plus a 30-month extended licence, and James Ward's with two years. Since all three have already served longer than their replacement sentences, Ings and Bennett will be released without further supervision, while Ward will no longer face supervision requirements.
Relatives of Ings and Bennett embraced in the public gallery as the verdicts were announced. Ward, who had been freed in 2017 after serving ten years beyond his one-year minimum term before being recalled to prison, sat in the gallery to witness his original sentence being replaced.
How did these men receive indefinite sentences?
Both Ings and Bennett were teenagers when they committed the offences that led to their classification as dangerous offenders. Bennett, now 38, was 17 when he was sentenced at Wolverhampton crown court in May 2007 after being convicted of reckless arson for setting fire to items in the loft of an empty council property, and admitting criminal damage and burglary. His minimum term was set at 24 months.
Ings, also now 38, was 17 when he was sentenced to detention for public protection in March 2006 at East Berkshire youth court after admitting robbery in an underpass and assault on a teenager in a fast food outlet. His minimum term was 21 months.
Ward, now 41, was 21 when he received a one-year minimum term in 2006 at Leicester crown court for arson and criminal damage. He had set fire to items in his prison cell while serving time for assault.
Why were these sentences overturned?
The three men's original sentences were quashed after they argued that judges had wrongly determined them to be dangerous offenders or had failed to consider alternative sentencing options. The CCRC referred their cases back to the crown court to review the minimum terms imposed in 2006 and 2007.
Muin Boase, representing Bennett, successfully argued that the judge who sentenced him in 2007 had not given adequate weight to his youth, lack of maturity and capacity for change following a difficult childhood. In its ruling, the appeal court concluded there had been no proper foundation for the original finding of dangerousness.
What is the broader context of IPP sentences?
Detention for public protection (DPP) and imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentences were introduced in 2005 to address offenders considered a significant risk to the public. However, the system was widely criticised for being applied too broadly, and the sentences were abolished in 2012. Crucially, the abolition was not retrospective, meaning thousands of prisoners sentenced under the old regime remain indefinitely detained.
According to Ministry of Justice figures as of 30 June 2026, 856 IPP prisoners had never been released, with 851 of those having already passed their minimum tariff. An additional 1,415 prisoners were in custody after being recalled to prison following initial release. Overall, more than 2,000 prisoners remain held indefinitely under IPP sentences, with 99% past their original tariff and 80% having served ten years or more.
The government has faced mounting pressure to address the backlog. Former justice secretary Ken Clarke stated last month that ministers should not be overly cautious in tackling the issue. Current justice secretary Alex Norris told MPs that the government planned to bring forward legislation to end IPP sentences "once and for all" by the end of this parliament.
The CCRC has continued to review cases. According to the CCRC, it has referred nine additional cases involving indeterminate IPP or DPP sentences to the Court of Appeal, signalling that further releases and sentence replacements may follow.
Changes that took effect on 1 June 2026 introduced an automatic Parole Board review of an IPP licence two years after a person's first release, providing an additional mechanism for oversight of those eventually freed under the system.
The case of Ings, Bennett and Ward reflects a broader pattern of individuals serving sentences far exceeding their minimum terms under a system now widely regarded as flawed. Their release follows similar cases, including that of Leroy Douglas, who was approved for release after 21 years in prison for stealing a mobile phone under an abolished IPP sentence, highlighting the scale of the problem across the criminal justice system.
Key Facts
- Luke Ings and Liam Bennett have been freed after serving approximately 20 years each, despite minimum terms of 21 and 24 months respectively
- James Ward's indefinite sentence was replaced with a fixed two-year term; he had been recalled to prison after initial release in 2017
- IPP and DPP sentences were abolished in 2012 but the change did not apply retrospectively, leaving over 2,000 prisoners still serving indefinite terms
- The CCRC has referred nine additional cases to the Court of Appeal, with further releases expected
- The government has committed to ending IPP sentences through legislation by the end of the current parliament
