Paulo de Gouveia (26) was sentenced at the beginning of July to three years imprisonment for drugs and motoring offences.
The weekend after the sentencing, de Gouveia, who has a wife and two children in Jersey, was notified of his father’s death and asked for compassionate leave to attend the funeral.Prison governor Mike Kirby said that social inquiry and probation reports had said that there was very little likelihood of de Gouveia’s reoffending.
Mr Kirby recommended that the Home Affairs Committee should give consideration to allowing him to attend the funeral, and they permitted him to go.As prison officers do not have jurisdiction out of the Island, de Gouveia went on the journey unescorted after his wife had paid for the airline ticket.