Leroy Douglas, 45, is to be released next month after spending 20 years in prison under an indefinite Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence for stealing a Nokia mobile phone. His case was one of five examined by the United Nations, which found that his continued detention amounted to arbitrary detention under international law, despite his having completed the two-and-a-half-year minimum term set by the court in 2005. The case has renewed pressure on the Government to abolish IPP sentences entirely, with Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledging to end the scheme before the current Parliament ends.

Douglas was sentenced under the IPP system, introduced in 2005 for offenders deemed dangerous but whose crimes did not warrant a life sentence, after stealing a phone from his cousin's boyfriend while addicted to drugs. Although the system was abolished for new cases in 2012, it was not applied retrospectively, leaving thousands still detained indefinitely beyond their original tariffs. During his imprisonment, Douglas missed the death of his 19-year-old daughter and was unable to grieve properly; his release, due to take place at a hostel in October, will come with conditions including a curfew, GPS monitoring and drug testing.