Shocking !!! Man on 10-month jail term for arson freed after 11 years

James Ward's family who spent 11 years in prison even though he was jailed for 10 months have vowed to carry on fighting the rules that kept him inside.

The man was given an indeterminate Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) which meant he would only be released when officials deemed it safe.
The 32-year-old received the sentence because he had set fire to his bed while serving a one-year jail term for another offence.

His family had made repeated pleas to the Parole Board to release him on the grounds of his repeated self-harm and mental health, but all of their requests were refused.
Ward was finally told he would be freed on Thursday morning, bringing an end to years of battling by his sister April.

IPPs were introduced in 2005 but scrapped in 2012 after then justice secretary Ken Clarke called them a "stain" on the judicial system.

Ms Ward told Sky News she was thrilled when she got the call confirming her brother was coming home.
"I just couldn't stop crying. I was just so overwhelmed with emotion," she said. "It's taken 12 years of hard fighting, for us as a family and for James. It was all emotions today."
Ms Ward said her brother is not planning anything beyond just being able to experience life outside prison - but they are determined to prevent others having to go through what they say they have suffered.

She added: "It ruins the good times, because even when you are trying to celebrate something, it was in the back of my mind that James was sat in a cell, or even in segregation or alone. That... has been absolutely heartbreaking.
"James dreams of walking down the street - the novelty of going to a park. His dreams are very small, as they would be if you had been in prison for 12 years. Together we'll make sure those dreams get bigger."
Ms Ward said she is going to "fight IPP to the very end" with her brother to help other families affected by these sentences.

In a letter sent to his family last year, James said he was losing hope of ever being released.
He had written: "I'm banged up in my cell, all that's in here is a bed, a cupboard, a toilet and a sink.
"I'm going crazy, mum, and I've had enough of this place."