22. Arbitrary Detention

Joe Outlaw’s trial, an update on Aaron Graham’s story and a landmark complaint to the United Nations.

Roddy Russell travels to Middlesbrough to follow the trial of Joe Outlaw in July 2025, an Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) prisoner whose rooftop protests at HMP Manchester and HMP Franklin has brought renewed attention to one of the most controversial sentences in UK legal history. Joe argues that the mental torture caused by his indefinite sentence drove his actions, making this one of the first UK cases where IPP-related psychological duress is formally raised as a defence.

Outside Teesside Crown Court, Roddy meets the family members, campaigners, and supporters who gather daily to support Joe. We hear how IPP sentences devastate mental health, fracture families, and trap people in a cycle of recall with no clear end point. Here Roddy also catches up with campaigner Cherrie Nichol, whose brother Aaron Graham is the longest IPP serving prisoner. Aaron’s repeated recalls, including being returned to prison after getting lost while trying to comply with licence conditions, illustrate how the system punishes vulnerability and untreated mental illness.

We also hear about the landmark legal complaint submitted to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in Sept '25, led by barrister and international law expert Dr Muin Boase. The submission argues that IPP prisoners are being arbitrarily detained in breach of International human rights law, due to the grossly disproportionate length and uncertainty of their sentences. Campaigners Shirley Debono and Bernadette Emerson travel to Downing Street with MPs and peers to deliver a letter supporting the complaint. Shirley speaks movingly about her son Shaun Lloyd, who remains trapped in the IPP system, and the devastating impact on his children.

Outside Parliament, Lord Tony Woodley and Baroness Claire Fox speak to campaigners about the need for sustained political pressure. Could international scrutiny finally force the UK government to confront what many describe as one of the greatest stains on the modern justice system? How long can a country committed to human rights justify a sentence with no end?

Read about the complaint here: https://greatjames.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Complaint-Against-the-UK-on-IPP-sentences.pdf

Contributors in order of appearance:

Roddy Russell, brother of IPP serving prisoner Robert

Mandy Outlaw, Joe Outlaw’s aunt

Cherrie Nichol, IPP campaigner, sister of Aaron Graham

Stacey Clough, IPP campaigner

Dr Muin Boase, Barrister and senior lecturer in International Law, University of Derby

Shirley Debono – IPP campaigner, mother of Sean Lloyd

Lord Tony Woodley – Member of the House of Lords

Baroness Claire Fox – Member of the House of Lords

Voices in archive:

Joe Outlaw, IPP Prisoner

Aaron Graham, IPP Prisoner

Production Team:

Presenter: Roddy Russell | @1roddyRussell

Executive Producer: Melissa FitzGerald | @Melissafitzg

Producer: Steve Langridge | @SMLANGERS

Consultant: Hank Rossi

An Ear Worm Production for the Institute of Now

Get involved:

➕ Follow Trapped on X, TikTok, Facebook or Instagram @Trapped_Pod 

🔎 Search #IPPScandal for more stories.

🗣️ Read more about the IPP campaign: UNGRIPP | www.ungripp.com | @UNGRIPP | IPP Committee In Action @ActionIpp | injustice_of_ipp

✔️ Like, follow and share this podcast to get people listening: knowledge is power and the more who know, the harder it is for injustice to take place. 

✍️ Write to your MP and ask them to raise questions about IPPs in Parliament

⬇️ Download the Trapped series episode transcripts here: https://drive.google.com

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