A man who served three times his minimum term for a robbery carried out 14 years ago has been released from prison in time for Christmas.

But Shaun Lloyd, 32, from Cardiff, fears the indefinite licence attached to the sentence means he’ll never truly be free from his crime.

He says the strict conditions have left him fearing every knock at the door.

Shaun was given an Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence in 2006 following a street robbery.

Despite the minimum tariff being two years and nine months, the father-of-two and stepfather-of-two ended up serving almost nine years in total after twice being recalled to jail.

Following his release, Shaun told Wales Online: ‘This sentence is inhumane. I have known people in prison who have taken their own lives themselves because of it.

‘Whenever someone knocks my door, I am worried they’re going to take me back to prison even though I know I haven’t done anything. I tell my wife Donna not to open the door.

‘I could be recalled to prison if I happen to miss an appointment and I am currently on a tag. They won’t let me stay with my wife and children so I have to stay with my mum.

‘It feels great to see my family but I honestly feel like I am being over-punished and over-scrutinised for something I did when I was 18.’

IPP sentences were abolished in 2012, but it wasn’t retrospective meaning more than 2,000 inmates are still in prison serving them.

Nine out of 10 of those prisoners have served more than their original tariffs.

Shaun’s mother Shirley Debono, 59, previously told Metro.co.uk that they were ‘basically a life sentence through the back door’.

She has spent years campaigning for IPP prisoners to be re-sentenced and given determinate terms so they can move on with their lives rather than constantly looking over their shoulder.

‘I believe those IPP prisoners who deserve to spend the rest of their life in prison should be given life sentences and people like Shaun should be resentenced to determinate sentences so they can get on with their lives and save taxpayers millions of pounds,’ she added.

Shirley has raised her campaign with politicians and launched an online petition which has garnered almost 46,000 signatures.​

Shaun added: ‘I am super proud of mum but it’s a weight on my shoulders because I know she won’t stop until the law is changed.

‘I want her to be able to rest and get on with her life but I know she won’t stop.’

A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said changes to IPP sentences are retrospective for serving IPP prisoners, who will only be released when the parole board assesses them as suitable.

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