A mum whose partner is due to be released from prison 11 months early has revealed she is worried he could end up worse off and back behind bars.
Sarah Walker has spent years raising her three-year-old daughter Tiana-Acea while her partner Kieran Sendall serves a 10-year prison sentence.
Kieran, 38, was originally due to be released in April 2028 but is now expected to walk free in May 2027 under the Government’s early release scheme.
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Sarah – who made headlines after claiming to fall pregnant during a prison visit – says the family have received the news that Kieran would be released early.
While the 34-year-old is relieved that her partner will be coming home sooner than expected, she fears he could be recalled to prison if the right support and arrangements aren’t put in place before his release.
“I worry he’ll end up back in prison if he’s not given the right support from probation,” Sarah, a full-time mum from Manchester, told Need To Know.
“He could 100% get a recall.
“He’s trying everything possible to get things put in place with probation regarding licensing conditions.
“It was just a relief that we were getting him home sooner than expected, but I worry that he’s not going to get the correct support and resettlement ready for release.”
Mum-of-one Sarah fears that prisoners being released early without sufficient rehabilitation and resettlement support could ultimately make it harder for them to stay out of prison.
She said: “I don’t agree with the way they have done the scheduled batches and how they aren’t prepared.
“A lot of shorter-sentence prisoners will think it’s a joke as they only have to serve 33%.
“I think it will work better for longer-sentence prisoners who also have a longer licence and they will want to stay out and won’t just see prison as a holiday camp.
“A prisoner could receive a three-year sentence and only have to serve under 12 months.
“I don’t think that’s a lesson learned.
“I believe more rehabilitation needs to be done inside prison.
“That’s the root cause of prisoners reoffending.
“I’d say there needs to be intensive rehabilitation and mental health help for prisoners, especially close to the release date.
“Just releasing prisoners with no structure and nowhere to go into the big wide world is just crazy.”
Kieran is currently held at HMP Woodhill, around three hours from the family’s home.
She said the distance from home is making it difficult for Kieran to prepare for his return to the community in the area where he will actually be living.
She said: “Emotionally, it is tough.
“You’re in a relationship with someone via phone calls and limited visits.
“I have to wait for him to call; I can’t just call him first if I’m not having a great day.
“It’s hard practically, especially with him being so far away and having to take a full day just to see him for two hours.”
Despite her concerns, Sarah supports the principle of eligible prisoners being released early and is desperate for Kieran to finally come home.
Kieran will have served around six years of his 10-year-and-nine-month sentence when he is released.
Sarah said: “I’m most looking forward to becoming a family and making a life together.
“And I’m excited to watch Kieran become a dad to Tiana-Acea in the outside world rather than in a visitation hall.
“Our daughter can have her dad at home, and we can finally become a family, but he has still served the majority of his custodial sentence.”
The couple have previously shared how difficult it has been for Sarah to raise their daughter without Kieran at home.
Kieran missed Tiana-Acea’s birth and many of her first milestones, although Sarah says he has remained heavily involved in her life through daily phone calls and visits.
Sarah said: “It’s been tough being a solo parent, but he has done as much as he can from inside a prison to mentally support our family.
“I speak to him every day; visits are tough at the moment as he is a three-hour drive away and our little girl has started school.
“And visits are hard to book where he is unless they are booked well in advance.
“We are aiming at two visits a month.”
Kieran was arrested in 2021 after leaving a man with “lasting injuries” following a violent robbery – reportedly using a hiking stick to hit the victim, in order to obtain a quantity of cannabis from his rucksack.
Kieran pleaded not guilty, but was found guilty of robbery and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Sarah said people questioned why she continued the relationship while Kieran was behind bars.
She said: “Of course people weren’t happy that I was sticking by him.
“Some people were in my ear telling me not to be with him and saying I’m ruining my life.
“My family have supported me as their daughter, but not because they agree with the situation.
“But it’s no one’s business who I choose to be in a relationship with.
“I know how good my relationship is, and who is anyone to judge that if they haven’t been in my situation?”
The pair plan to marry and start a business together using Kieran’s open university degree, which he achieved in prison.
Sarah added: “Going through limited visits, phone calls, having a premature baby at 33 weeks and being unable to see him in person for two months was tough with all the worry and stress, but it only made us stronger and will never take normal life for granted again.
“We’ve had to build family ties on video calls and phone calls, which has also made us realise how strong we are and we are a tight team.”
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