Arson patient Joe Paraskeva set to appeal

Joe Paraskeva’s mother Linda Morgan with a picture of her son during his younger years. Photograph: Josh Loeb

A mentally ill young man who could end up spending the rest of his life in custody is to begin a High Court bid to overturn his sentence.

Joe Paraskeva, 21, has been granted leave to appeal the sentence handed down to him after he pleaded guilty to having committed arson at a secure psychiatric ward.

On 4 October 2010, the bipolar affective disorder sufferer from Stoke Newington was detained by doctors under the Mental Health Act for a period of assessment of up to 28 days.

Two days later he made a failed escape bid, using a lighter and deodorant aerosol to try and burn a hole in a door.

Mr Paraskeva’s sentence at Snaresbrook Crown Court means he can be detained indefinitely, even for the rest of his life, a punishment his mother Linda Morgan said is unduly harsh, particularly given that he had no previous convictions, no one was hurt in the incident and only a couple of hundred pounds worth of damage was caused by the flames.

The former Stoke Newington School pupil has since spent time in prison.

He is currently being held in a secure psychiatric hospital, and as with any prisoner, his family can only see him during strict visiting hours.

Ms Morgan does not believe Mr Paraskeva was fit to plead at the initial magistrates’ court hearing.

She said: “He wasn’t responsible for his actions. If you’re detained under the Mental Health Act, it doesn’t mean you are okay, what it means is you are not okay.”

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