Man on 'surreal' freedom after 20 years in jail

A man who spent 20 years in prison before a court ruled his original sentence was imposed in error has described the feeling of freedom as "surreal".

Luke Ings, from Bracknell, Berkshire, was 17 when he was sentenced in 2006 after admitting offences including a robbery in an underpass and an assault on a teenager in a fast-food restaurant.

He was jailed for 21 months but held in custody indefinitely under a detention for public protection (DPP) sentence until judges at Wolverhampton Crown Court ordered his release earlier this month.

The 38-year-old told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) everything was now "amazing" to him and that he hoped to get a job.

Ings's unusual sentence caught the attention of politicians and the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), following years of campaigning by his family, and was brought before the court on 7 October.

Judges ruled out the original sentence imposed on him as a teenager as a "very serious error" and it was quashed.

Ings paid tribute to the CCRC team and barristers for fighting his case but also acknowledged the impact of his crimes.

"What I did was wrong. I can't take that back," he said.

"I would like to apologise to the victims and let them know I am sorry."

Ings has been offered temporary accommodation in London while he is rehabilitated and said he had spent the last week-and-a-half trying to get to grips with things, from opening a bank account to navigating social media.

Describing the moment the decision was announced in court, his mother Sam said she had "never seen so many emotions in one room".

"It is a shame Luke has lost 21 years of his life but we are so grateful for the [CCRC]".

Ings said one of the hardest parts of being in prison with an indefinite sentencing was never knowing whether he'd ever see his family or return to his home again.

"I want to buy myself a nice little canal boat and go travelling around, live my life with two little dogs," he told the LDRS.

"I just want to settle down and hopefully get a little job."