Robber committed crimes to be returned to prison

Published on Monday 22 June 2009 22:52

A MAN who finds life outside prison "a very frightening experience" was granted his wish yesterday to be returned to jail to serve another four years.

Ryan Ingram, 27, had been freed early from a sentence for robbing a shop, but he could not cope on the outside and committed further offences to get back to prison, a court heard.

By breaching his licence, Ingram was liable to serve the unexpired six and a half years of the robbery sentence, and the judge, Lord Hardie, was told that he had been assessed as posing a high to very high risk to the public.

However, Lord Hardie decided against imposing the full term, saying he thought that it would take away all incentive for Ingram to work towards his rehabilitation. "I think it is important that the period is sufficiently long, but still gives you some incentive to work with the people who are supposed to be helping you get back into society.

"If, at the end of the four years, you come out and fail to live a law-abiding life, you will be subject to recall for the remaining two and a half years," the judge told Ingram at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Defence counsel Susan Duff said Ingram could not cope outside prison. "Being in the community is a very frightening experience and he commits offences to get back into prison," she told the court.

Ingram will be sentenced next month over the new offences.