Prisoner believed to have been released in error was freed lawfully, minister says

After additional checks, it was revealed that a prisoner who was thought to have been released by mistake was actually released in accordance with the law.

Meanwhile, another prisoner who was mistakenly released is now behind bars again.

This means the current total of prisoners released by mistake is two, Justice Secretary Lord Timpson told Parliament.

But he noted that “things can change quickly.”

A leading Labor figure said the errors were “a sign that the system is being stretched to its limits”.

Data released Tuesday by the Department of Justice showed that there were 91 accidental releases between April 1 and October 31 this year.

The issue has been put under the spotlight following the debacle that led to the release of sex offender Hadush Kebatu, the now-deported immigrant who was at the center of asylum hotel protests in Epping, Essex.

Tighter security checks in prisons were announced and an independent investigation was launched in response to the controversy.

Justice Minister David Lammy told MPs earlier this week that three prisoners are now at large after being released by mistake, while authorities are investigating a possible case of mistaken release on November 3 and that the man may still be at large.

The Deputy Prime Minister said none of the three men confirmed through prison records were convicted sex offenders, two were British nationals and one was a foreign national offender.

Updating colleagues on Thursday, Lord Timpson said: “I can now tell the House that the potential case the Deputy Prime Minister is talking about is indeed a wrongful discharge.

“I can also confirm that this man was quickly taken into police custody the same day and returned to prison the following morning. I thank Leicestershire Police for their diligence.”

He added: “Finally, one of the three men mentioned by the Deputy Prime Minister, a foreign criminal, was today classified as lawfully released following additional checks.

“What I just stated means that the total number of wrongful releases from prison right now is two.”

But the minister continued: “These are all operational matters and, as I am sure noble Lords will appreciate, things can change quickly.”

Lord Timpson told the upper house: “Faulty transmissions are a sign that the system has been pushed to its limits.

“Prisons are filled almost to breaking point, making them an even more challenging environment. I pay tribute to the prison staff who work under incredibly difficult conditions.

“What we’re talking about here is a paper-based system where inmates’ sentences are readjusted each time they arrive at a new prison.”

Highlighting cuts to prison staff under the previous Conservative government, he said: “That’s around 6,000 fewer people. The knock-on effect of this is that today, more than half of frontline prison staff have less than five years’ experience. This increases the potential for errors.”

He continued: “The previous Government had 14 years to solve this problem.

“The reason they couldn’t was not because they didn’t try, but because it was a complex and difficult task.

“I took on the challenge, and what we put together is a plan that makes sense and is achievable.”

Lord Reid of Cardowan, Labour’s former home secretary, said: “I am sure that under previous secretaries of state and home secretaries responsible for justice, including myself, prisoners were frequently released unintentionally.”

Lord Carter of Haslemere, a former senior legal adviser to successive prime ministers, said: “Prisoners have been released by mistake for decades. “I know because I was a legal adviser to the Prison Service in the 1990s, advising on sentencing in the Home Office legal advisers branch in the 1990s.

“It was hard then, and it’s devilishly hard now because of the changes that have been made to the statute book since then.”

The independent crossbencher added: “The statute book is a complete mess in terms of trying to work out when a release date will apply for a particular prisoner.

“All prisoners are in different positions. Some have additional days, some have different detention periods.”