THE family of a 77-year-old climate activist who has been recalled to prison after officers failed to fit a suitable tag have accused the electronic monitoring service (EMS) of completely misrepresenting the incident.

Just Stop Oil (JSO) activist Gaie Delap was sentenced to 20 months after taking part in peaceful action on the M25 in 2022 demanding an end to all new oil and gas licences.

Ms Delap was released in November on a home detention curfew, requiring her to wear an electronic tag.

But Serco, the company operating EMS, was unable to attach the tag to her ankle due to previous deep vein thrombosis.

JSO says that EMS was unable to alternatively fit a tag to her wrist as they did not have one small enough.

As a result, the grandmother was arrested at her home in late December and recalled to prison.

Ms Delap’s family have now called for an investigation after discovering that EMS claimed in the activist’s recall papers that she “refused” to allow equipment to be installed.

Her brother Mick Delap said: “Reading this, Gaie is speechless and angry — they are completely misrepresenting what happened. 

“She has never, ever refused a tag. She feels like she is caught up in a web of deceit, and is powerless to tell the truth. 

“It now seems to us that Gaie has been recalled to prison due to fabricated reports. This raises serious issues about Serco EMS conduct. At best it is manifest incompetence. At worst it is mendacious and borders on the fraudulent.”

Guidance provided by the Ministry of Justice confirmed that staff were unable to fit an electronic tag.

The family are calling for an acceptable form of electrical monitoring to be found so Ms Delap can return home.

Close friend and former senior probation officer, Mike Campbell said: “Before Gaie was recalled to prison we measured her wrist circumference and around her hand. They are typical for a woman in the UK.

“Instead of the officers reporting the real tag issue, we now know they recorded Gaie as refusing the tag. How has this happened? We hear via a source within the Bristol Probation Service that EMS are in ‘disarray’. 

“Another source within His Majesty’s Probation and Prison Service has told us that ‘within the senior ranks of the Ministry of Justice, Serco are largely viewed as incompetent, chaotic and relying on untruths to protect their contracts’.”

He added that returning Ms Delap home would be “better for her health and wellbeing, while saving the taxpayer at least £4,000 per month.”

Serco has been contacted for comment.