https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-47879038A man who remains in prison after he was jailed aged 17 for stealing a bike has given up hope of being released, his family has said.
Wayne Bell was given a now-obsolete type of indefinite sentence for robbery in 2007.
Now 29, he has suffered a mental breakdown and feels "trapped" after being repeatedly turned down for release, his relatives said.
The Parole Board said its was handling cases as quickly as possible.
Mr Bell received the Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence in 2007 after he was arrested for taking a bike from a boy he assaulted in Withington, Manchester.
Carl Bell
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Carl Bell said his son had been unable to access courses which would help his parole case
He was told he would serve a minimum sentence of four years for the crime.
Mr Bell's father, Carl, said his son had gone before the Parole Board every two years but had been denied release for a number of reasons.
His son had been unable to access courses to tackle issues including anger management because they were oversubscribed, he said.
Mr Bell said his son had been an "easy target" for other inmates which had led to him becoming involved in fights and further hampered his release.
"We are all hoping, but Wayne has given up.
"He's 29 years old and he's had no life."
He said the abolition of IPP sentences in 2012 had come too late for his son and called on the government to release him.
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