Niall Cooper was instructed on a private basis for a client who was due to be released from a custodial sentence.

Our client was due to be released automatically after serving half of his sentence in custody with the remainder to be spent on licence.

The Probation Service had informed him of their intent to compel him to reside in an Approved Premises, which are premises approved under Section 13 of the Offender Management Act 2007, as part of his licence conditions. Approved Premises often provide key workers and are used to monitor and manage the risk of people who have normally just been released from custody. If our client had refused to stay in the Approved Premises he would likely have been recalled to custody for breaching his licence conditions.

Our client did not wish to reside in Approved Premises which could have been located anywhere in the country as he wished to maintain family ties and instructed us to make submissions to the Probation Service. Based on these submissions and Niall liaising with the client’s local MP the Probation Service abandoned their insistence on him residing in an Approved Premises.

Niall can be contacted on 01189 5740148 or niallcooper@albinandco.co.uk