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Valuable and inspirational advice for Loughborough College students from former prisoner

Posted: 7th December 2016 - 11:33am

Only nine days after his release from prison, a former offender has been offering Loughborough College students valuable and inspirational advice.

Michael arrived on campus as part of a project from national educational charity Prison Me! No-Way! which has been raising awareness of the causes, consequences and penalties of crime for more than 20 years, reaching millions of young people.

More than 150 students on courses including A-level Law, Psychology and Sociology and Public Services heard how Michael, who used to provide security for leading clients including Wayne Rooney and Manchester City Football Club before starting his own business, ended up being sentenced to eleven and a half years in prison.

“Michael heard about a kidnap plan with the aim of taking a ransom to pay off a drug debt and that his brother was part of the gang who planned to carry it out,” said Loughborough College Law lecturer Corinne Gardner.

“When the police caught most of the gang, but not Michael’s brother, they brought Michael in for questioning on the basis of phone evidence – and told him that if he did not give them his brother they would charge Michael under the law of Joint Enterprise, for being aware the crime was going to take place and not informing the police.

“Michael refused to give up his brother and would not plead guilty to Section 18 assault and kidnap as he had not been part of the gang and had been 30 miles away at the time.

“The result was that the gang members who had been caught pleaded guilty to the charges and were sentenced to eight years each while Michael was sentenced to eleven and a half years in prison.

“Michael spoke about the extreme violence he witnessed while in prison as well as the difficulty of leaving behind his wife and three children – particularly when one of his children was admitted to intensive care with a serious illness and he could not visit him. And now he had been released, he will never be able to travel overseas and for every job he applies for he will have to say he had been sent to prison for Section 18 assault and kidnap – not even mentioning joint enterprise.

“However, Michael gave the students a very clear and positive message that there was no point in him being angry because he had not informed the police about the crime or given up his brother, so it was his own fault . He emphasized that no one is exempt from the possibility of going to prison and that each individual is in control of their choices.”

Michael served five years and six months of his sentence during which time he began mentoring young people and studied counseling and, now back with his wife and children, he is employed by the charity.

“The students were completely captivated, spending almost an hour at the end asking Michael questions. We were all inspired by his story and his message – and of course it was incredibly valuable for our Law students to be given a first-hand insight into the criminal justice system, what can happen to someone after arrest, conviction and sentencing.”

Loughborough College Law student Emma Taylor said Michael’s talk had been “extremely inspirational. His strong will and tough morals inspired me to stay determined and work to the best of my ability, continuously.

“I particularly liked the fact that he said ‘your future depends on you’… His experiences in life and circumstances surrounding his prison sentence demonstrate how even the smallest of choices we make can have a significant impact on our future.”

Names have been changed