From the moment Judge John Gleeson handed down a 57-year prison sentence to Francois Holloway, Gleeson says it “haunted” him.

Holloway had been charged in 1995 with three counts of carjacking, using a gun during a violent crime and partaking in an illegal business. Prosecutors offered him a plea deal that would have seen him released in 11 years but Holloway faced an additional 46 because he insisted on a trial.