sentences longer than a year had to spend two-thirds of their time in jail and then do community service. Under the terms of the English sentence, the prisoners would have been able to get out after 18 years and 8 months. Under the Irish system, a 25% reduction is the most that can be given. In a letter sent back to the Minister of Justice, the prisoners agreed to that condition due to the transfer. In July 2006, the High Court was asked for warrants so that each prisoner could be relocated to Portlaoise Prison. While the transfers were pending, the sentencing differences between the two jurisdictions in the context of the Transfer of Persons Act 1995 was considered by the Supreme Court in Vincent Sweeney v Governor of Loughlan House Open Centre and Others. In this particular case the appellant had been sentenced to sixteen years imprisonment by an English Court, half of which was to be served in custody with the remaining half on licence. The appellant who had transferred from the United Kingdom to Ireland under the Transfer of Persons, contested his continued detention after his eight years in custody had been served. The Supreme Court came to the conclusion that since there was no facility in Ireland for the appellant to serve his supervised release on licence, he was entitled to be released once he served his custodial sentence. In Vincent Sweeney v. Governor of Loughlan House Open Centre and Others, the Supreme Court looked at how the Transfer of Persons Act 1995 affected the differences in sentencing between the two places. In this case, the appellant was given a sentence of sixteen years in prison by an English court. Half of that time was to be served in prison, and the other half was to be served on parole. The appellant, who had moved from the UK to Ireland under the Transfer of Persons Act, argued against his continued detention after his eight years in jail had passed. The Supreme Court decided that since the appellant couldn't serve his supervised release on license in Ireland because there wasn't a place for him to do so, he was entitled to be freed once he finished his prison sentence. High Court As a result of the Sweeney decision, O'Farrell filed a habeas corpus petition with the High Court. He said that the warrant justifying his sentence was