A 77-year-old activist faces being recalled to prison because his hands are too small for an electronic tag.
Gaie Delap, of Bristol, was to prison In August, together with his four co-heirs, he took part in the campaign of the turbulent protestants on M25 November 2022.
A few months after it was closed Just stop the oil protests, she was released after resigning to serve the remainder of her sentence under house arrest curfew.
But the company contracted to fit the tag to Delap couldn’t attach one to his ankles because of a health condition, and couldn’t find a machine small enough to fit his wrist.
Now it’s time to get to the company’s arrest when the prison authorities contacted them to say they “could not be advised”.
Curfews prohibit Delap from speaking directly to the media so her brother, Mick, speaks for her. “This is very cruel,” he said. “Gaie sat at home terrified with her suitcase packed waiting for the police to knock on the door. Because of this, he could not eat or sleep.
“He’s hoping against hope that sense can prevail and he won’t go back to prison.”
He said his sister had various health issues and continued to not have a sling on one finger to visit the hospital at the time of his visit. She could not wear an ankle tag because she was at risk of deep vein thrombosis.
Of the five people Delap was arrested for, four were released early and three were tagged for good. The tagging system operated by Electronic Monitoring Services (EMS), is managed under a Ministry of Justice contract.
On Thursday, Delap was informed that an arrest warrant had been issued and that she would be returned to prison for “inability to monitor”. The same issue with tagging has arisen when in bail and the “curfew threshold” is established from 7pm to 7am, with random interference incorporated. This alternative is not offered at this time.
Mick said: “As family and friends we are aware of the failure of the tagging system and this case appears to be a miscarriage of justice. We have been with the probation service, who are supportive of Gaie. But we believe that the matter has been taken out of his hands.
“It’s clear that Gaie was caught in a triangle night of confusion between justice, EMS, jail, and the probation office.”
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Delap among several dozen Just stop the oil supporters who, during the four-day campaign, mounted gantries on the M25, which surrounds London, forcing the police to stop traffic and an estimated 709,000 drivers stuck in tailbacks.
At the time of Delap’s decision, his MP; Carla Denyer said He had a deep concern over the “proportionate judgment” given to him by the constituents, whose actions “were entirely peaceful and non-violent and intended to warn against the dangers of the emergency climate.”
Responding to news of the tag on Saturday, Denyer said: “My jaw hit the floor when I heard about this case. It is absurd. I went straight to the prisons to tell the minister, Mr. Timpson, about this matter. This is completely disproportionate and not a good use of the available resources. This is an unprecedented crackdown on climate activists. It is clear that Gaia poses no threat to her citizens.
The Ministry of Justice and Serco, which manages EMS, said they were looking for a solution.