Mum of three says being recalled to jail over bail breach 20 years ago has ruined her life
A MUM says being recalled to jail over a bail breach almost 20 years ago — a move criticised by prison inspectors — has ruined her life.
Rebecca Lansari, 44, spent three months in jail earlier this year over a missed probation meeting in 2005 following her release from an 18-month term for cheque fraud.
In 2013 she met her now husband Hassib Lansari, who is from Tunisia, and moved to the country in north Africa to start a new life.
Her son Luca, 18, daughter Naima, 11, and youngest son Aissa, nine, live there while she flew back and forth to work in the UK where wages are higher.
That changed when her case was flagged in the system and she was stopped in March at Gatwick Airport as a “most wanted” and sent to Bronzefield prison.
The mum has lost her job and cannot go back to Tunisia until January.
She is looking to raise cash for a legal challenge, saying: “I’ve worked and had an amazing life and I don’t anymore. It’s just been ruined.”
The Prison Inspectorate questioned whether her recall to HMP Downview in Surrey was a “sensible use” of resources.
It said: “We monitored the case of a woman who was transferred to Downview on recall for just 12 weeks.
“The recall was for a breach of a licence condition (failure to attend her probation appointment), which had taken place 20 years prior to her recall to Downview.
“The woman had not committed any further offences in that time and was now a mother, with school-age children and secure employment.”
A HM Prison and Probation Service spokesperson said: “In an extremely rare situation, this woman was unlawfully at large since 2005 and we are reviewing the circumstances behind it.”