Author | Lightnews

Andrew Sperling @sperls.bsky.social · Jul 22

Goodbye Ozzy. Very glad you got to experience the best of send-offs.

Here you are, singing from on high, courtesy of the very wonderful @coldwarsteve.bsky.social

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Andrew Sperling @sperls.bsky.social · Jun 11

Goodbye Brian. You lit up the world.

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Andrew Sperling @sperls.bsky.social · May 19

Quite unusual to see a civil servant explicitly blaming the last government:

“This data breach was made possible by the long years of neglect and mismanagement of the justice system under the last government….”

www.theguardian.com/law/2025/may...

Legal aid hack: data from hundreds of thousands of people accessed, says MoJ

Data including criminal records downloaded in ‘significant’ cyber-attack at Legal Aid Agency in April, ministry confirms

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Andrew Sperling

Emma McClure @emma-mcclure.bsky.social · Apr 25

Had an excellent morning running laps at HMP Brixton for @prtuk.bsky.social with @sperls.bsky.social and residents.

There is still time to leave our fundraising on a nice satisfying round number...

justgiving.com/page/thebrix...

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Reposted by Andrew Sperling

Emma McClure @emma-mcclure.bsky.social · Apr 21

#medalmonday Two fifty milers down for 2025. Three to go!

Next up though is half marathon at HMP Brixton for @prtuk.bsky.social

This will be @sperls.bsky.social first half and we are only £55 away from our target. Can you help? ☺️
justgiving.com/page/thebrix...

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Reposted by Andrew Sperling

Sawn Bones KC @seanjones.org · Apr 19

The state alleging that someone is a criminal is not a justification for denying them due process, it’s what creates the need for it.

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Andrew Sperling @sperls.bsky.social · Apr 19

A half marathon is a marathon to me. I’m a short bloke who has never run that far.

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Reposted by Andrew Sperling

Andrew Sperling @sperls.bsky.social · Mar 18

I am less keen on the endless loops. This will be further than I have ever run before (unlike Emma who basically runs the earth most weeks).

Any donation, however small (or large) will be very welcome.

Please also suggest a suitably themed song for our combined running playlist…

Emma McClure @emma-mcclure.bsky.social · Mar 17

Just under 6 weeks until @sperls.bsky.social and I run the HMP Brixton half for @prtuk.bsky.social along with residents who have been dilligently training.

The course is between 500/600 metres so 43/35 loops. Endless loops. My favourite.

justgiving.com/page/thebrix...

Andrew Sperling and Emma McClure RUN for Reform - The HMP Brixton Half

Help Emma McClure raise money to support Prison Reform Trust

justgiving.com

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Andrew Sperling @sperls.bsky.social · Apr 9

Congratulations to @laurajanes.bsky.social for her appointment as the new Chair of @prisonlawyersapl.bsky.social. Pretty disgraceful that it has taken over 15 years to get the first female Chair of APL but Laura always has been a trailblazer.

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Andrew Sperling @sperls.bsky.social · Mar 21

They are nearly all refusals to allow an oral hearing. There is very clear Supreme Court authority on this which is why they lose nearly all of these. They take a neutral position on these and as a result waste lots of court time and money. They should be paying the costs of these applications.

Andrew Sperling @sperls.bsky.social · Mar 21

Interesting to see Mr Yaxley-Lennon aka Tommy Robinson is a recent convert to the idea of human rights.

The article 3 claim was quite ambitious.

If anyone wants an enjoyable lunchtime read and can tell me how I attach a file on here I’ll happily post the judgment

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Andrew Sperling @sperls.bsky.social · Mar 18

I am less keen on the endless loops. This will be further than I have ever run before (unlike Emma who basically runs the earth most weeks).

Any donation, however small (or large) will be very welcome.

Please also suggest a suitably themed song for our combined running playlist…

Emma McClure @emma-mcclure.bsky.social · Mar 17

Just under 6 weeks until @sperls.bsky.social and I run the HMP Brixton half for @prtuk.bsky.social along with residents who have been dilligently training.

The course is between 500/600 metres so 43/35 loops. Endless loops. My favourite.

justgiving.com/page/thebrix...

Andrew Sperling and Emma McClure RUN for Reform - The HMP Brixton Half

Help Emma McClure raise money to support Prison Reform Trust

justgiving.com

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Andrew Sperling @sperls.bsky.social · Mar 16

This is another perspective on recalls. My brilliant colleague Catherine was interviewed for this piece about her client, Andy, who talks about being a ghost for two decades:
news.sky.com/story/ive-be...

Abolished indefinite prison sentences still in place - despite prisoner numbers approaching pre-release scheme levels

Imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentences were introduced in 2005 and abolished in 2012. But the law wasn't backdated, so thousands are still behind bars.

news.sky.com

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Andrew Sperling @sperls.bsky.social · Mar 16

These are cases in which people have been returned to prison without any kind of judicial oversight. They are recalled administratively by the probation service. Several probation officers misapply the legal test and recall unnecessarily. This has a significant impact on the prison population

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Andrew Sperling @sperls.bsky.social · Mar 16

There is much more to this story than the ‘alarm’ angle and the perspective of the unidentified probation officer. This new policy is actually delaying Parole Board reviews because there is now a backlog of cases awaiting review by MOJ officials.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Alarm over early re-release of recalled prisoners as jail overcrowding crisis deepens

Whistleblower says over 1,000 inmates in England and Wales considered for the scheme which bypasses Parole Board

www.theguardian.com

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Andrew Sperling @sperls.bsky.social · Feb 18

Absolutely gutted about Rick Buckler. His drumming on Funeral Pyre is utterly magnificent. Check this out

m.youtube.com/watch?v=Endq...

The Jam - Funeral Pyre

YouTube video by TheJamVEVO

m.youtube.com

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Andrew Sperling @sperls.bsky.social · Feb 16

This week was an important one for some people serving IPP sentences. Blog post

The Long, Long Road to Freedom

This month marked an important milestone for a few hundred people serving IPP (imprisonment for public protection) sentences who have been released from prison and are on licence in the community. A c...

gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com

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Andrew Sperling @sperls.bsky.social · Feb 8

The ultimate narcissist has succeeded in having everyone talk about, write about, read about and listen about him day in and day out. His ratings are GREAT.

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Reposted by Andrew Sperling

Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · Feb 7

For those who continue to deny that Trump and the MAGA GOP's objection to asylum-seekers and refugees isn't racist, check out which group, out of all the conflicts on earth, Trump has made a very special refugee resettlement for.

Yep.

White South Africans. Beyond parody.

Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · Feb 7

BREAKING

President Trump has signed sanctions against South Africa for their recent land seizure bill.

He is ordering all aid to South Africa be halted and he is also ordering federal agencies to prioritize humanitarian relief and admission to the United States for Afrikaner refugees.