Here is an update from Laura on the latest developments regarding Sams prison sentence. Please Please share this petition as much as you can and get it signed by as many as possible. It has the potential to help Sam get home sooner. Thank you 

Two weeks ago political prisoner, Sam Melia, was moved from HMP Leeds to HMP Hull. After a week of settling in to his new prison and beginning to get into a new routine, Sam received the shocking news from that he would no longer be allowed contact with his children. HMP Hull, working alongside Probation Service, have made the decision to classify Sam as a PPRC – Person Posing Risk to Children. This news made no sense as Sam is in prison for a public order offence relating to stickers on lampposts, not a crime involving children in any way.

As Sam was left unable to do anything as he’s locked in his cell for up to 22 hours a day, Sam’s father and I began making enquiries on the outside and tried to figure out what was going on. We learned that Sam has been classified as a PPRC due to the following reasons:

“This is a result of his offending behaviour and it does not state he poses a direct risk of serious harm to children, but by the child/ren being exposed to posters, insignia, literature and attitudes assessed as racist and offensive.”

Again, this makes no sense. Firstly, Sam has had full contact to his children during his time at HMP Leeds and his first week at HMP Hull, having regular visits, even having a visit from them during his first week at Hull. If he’s a risk to children, why wait until now to declare this? Secondly, Sam doesn’t have access to any “racist posters” in prison, so why should this impact his contact with his children while he’s in HMP Hull? However, it gets worse…

Upon asking HMP Hull just exactly what restrictions had been put in place I learned that it is not just that he isn’t allowed contact with his children, including visits and phone conversations, but he’s also not allowed any photographs of his children, and he’s not allowed to even have anybody under the age of 18 mentioned to him! This means, when our two-year-old daughter Catherine learns a new word, I’m not allowed to tell him. It also means I’m not allowed to send him photos of our newborn baby Violet, who is only one month old and changing day by day.

These restrictions are nothing more than completely overkill and amount to nothing more than political persecution of a loving father and husband. Sam is heartbroken at the prospect of not being able to see his children and although our newborn baby has no idea what’s going on, our toddler is confused as to why she’s not longer allowed to see her daddy.

I’ve asked HMP Hull to clarify why a man found guilty of encouraging the stickering of lampposts has restrictions put on him that sound more fitting for a child abuser and they’ve informed me that whenever somebody is flagged as a PPRC, they get the full force of restrictions put on them until an assessment is carried out. In order to get this assessment moving, Sam has had to fill out a form for both of our daughters to say he wants contact with them. These forms are then passed over to Children’s Services who will then carry out an assessment to see if Sam is of any risk!

So this is where we are at the moment. Sam has completed these two forms and we’re currently waiting for Children’s Services to begin their assessment. We have no idea how long this will take and considering how long things usually take in the public sector, it could be weeks or even months. This means that Sam will miss out on maintaining a strong relationship with our toddler, building a relationship with our newborn baby, and our children will miss out on seeing and speaking with Sam.

Can you help us fight back against this injustice?

Please follow the instruction on this weblink to make an email complaint to the prison governor https://www.patrioticalternative.org.uk/sam_melia_banned_access_children

You might also consider writing to the Prisons https://prisonreformtrust.org.uk/