Danny Weatherson, from Scotswood, Newcastle, was just 17 when he was convicted of two counts of attempted robbery, landing him with a sentence that has kept him in prison for close to half of his life

Danny Weatherson was 17 when he was locked up

A man has spent almost half of his life in prison and may never be released due to a failed robbery attempt when he was a teenager.

Danny Weatherson, from Scotswood, Newcastle, was 17-years-old when he and a group of his friends tried to steal a coat and a mobile phone from somebody on their estate.

While the bid was unsuccessful and no one was hurt in the incident, Danny’s history of minor, non-violent offences landed him in front of a crown court judge.

It was decided that he should serve an Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence, with a minimum term of 15 months.

What neither he nor his dad knew at the time was that Danny may never taste freedom again.

Although they are now abolished, the only route out of prison for the more than 2,000 people serving IPP sentences is by passing a parole hearing.