Roof protest prisoner given further jail term

Joe Outlaw, who is serving an indeterminate sentence, caused damage to Frankland Prison

A prisoner who caused extensive damage while protesting on the roof of a jail has been handed a further prison sentence.

Joe Outlaw, 38, has been in prison for 13 years serving an imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentence for robbing a takeaway with an imitation firearm in 2011.

He broke out of the jail yard and escaped on to the roof of Frankland Prison in County Durham in 2023, causing damage with an estimated repair bill of £170,000.

Outlaw was found not guilty at Teesside Crown Court of twelve criminal damage charges but convicted on two counts. He was sentenced to three years and three months to run concurrently with his indeterminate term.

Outlaw told his trial that the mental toll of his indefinite jail term left him at times fearing for his safety.

He said he had "no other option but to take action".

Outlaw's defence team told the court he suffers from OCD, anxiety and paranoia.

About 2,800 people are still serving IPPs, which were abolished in 2012 after concerns they were being used too widely and prisoners were spending many years longer than their minimum term in custody.

They were intended to keep the most dangerous criminals behind bars, but scrapped amid criticism that less serious offenders were being caught up in the provision.

In a statement, the Ministry of Justice said: "It is absolutely right that the IPP sentence was abolished and we have significantly improved support for these offenders, with greater access to rehabilitation and mental health support.

"By law, the Parole Board considers the case of each IPP prisoner every two years, judging whether they are safe for release.

"We consider this an important safeguard for the public's protection."