A robber with the surname Outlaw caused a ‘staggering’ £170,000 worth of damage during a rooftop protest at Durham's 'Monster Mansion'.
Joe Outlaw was sentenced to a four-and-a-half-year Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence for robbing a takeaway with an imitation firearm in 2011.
The 39-year-old has since served around 14 years for the crime as a result of the now-defunct sentencing power, including more than eight years for offences committed whilst in custody.
Teesside Crown Court heard how Outlaw suffers from a number of medical conditions, including ADHD and paranoia, which have been exasperated by his indeterminate prison sentence.
Outlaw was convicted of two counts of causing criminal damage following his arrest on June 21, 2023, when he managed to clamber onto a roof at HMP Frankland, Durham.
Following a lengthy stand-off, in which a negotiator was brought in to attempt to talk him down, the long-term inmate was helped from the roof and led away by three prison officers.
Jurors had heard how the defendant had become increasingly paranoid about his food being tampered with and was allowed a special diet of cans of tuna, packets of noodles and cereal.
However, when he was transferred to HMP Frankland in May 2023 prison authorities were concerned about him using the metal tins as a weapon while he was being held in segregation.
His frustration and paranoia spiralled out of control until he clambered onto the prison roof while out on exercise.
Judge Francis Laird KC, the Recorder of Middlesbrough, branded Outlaw as ‘manipulative’ in his endeavours to express his feelings of hopelessness at his indeterminate sentence.
Sentencing him to a further three years in prison, the judge said: “The delay of approximately four weeks led to significant anxiety on your part and as a consequence, considerable conflict with the prison authority.
“You felt they were deliberately and vindictively depriving you of that diet.”
Judge Laird said that despite the diet being later implemented the delay had ‘heightened’ his growing sense of injustice at his continued incarceration before he caused the 'staggering' £170,000 damage to the prison.
He added: “Having observed you during the trial, it is apparent that you are highly manipulative.
“You have come to appreciate that if you do not like either the location of a prison or the condition within, or the prison officers in particular prison, or a combination of all three, that committing acts of criminal damage, you are likely to be moved to another establishment.
“I do not accept you committed these offences because you had been assaulted by prison officers.”
Jonathan Gittins, prosecuting, said his rooftop protest had a significant knock-on effect for fellow prisoners, prison staff and the emergency services.
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He said the prison service had estimated the damage caused to the structure alone was around £140,000.
In mitigation, Jamie Adams said his client’s mental health had suffered as a result of his continued imprisonment.
He added: “The psychological evidence in this case shows just how crushed mentally this man has become over many years due to the iniquities of the IPP system and that is not something has even been disputed by the prosecution.”
Mr Adams said his difficulties and complaints were recognised in the ten not guilty verdicts of criminal damage.
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