Inmate freed in error 'groped prison officer's thigh' within hours of release
The prisoner was released from HMP Swaleside (file pic)
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A man who "groped a prison worker’s thigh" just hours after being released was freed in error.
Amari Ward was given a lift from HMP Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, to Sittingbourne station 11 miles away as a "gesture of goodwill" when the incident occurred.
The 31-year-old had been convicted under an outdated law, which was not recognised during checks.
According to a log of the incident: "During the journey, it was alleged that [he] sexually assaulted the prison worker."
The prisoner was released from HMP Swaleside (file pic)
PA
After the vehicle stopped in the car park at the station he quickly left and caught a train to London. He was arrested the next day in Croydon. His release came after serving 40 per cent of a jail term for breaching a restraining order.
The Government had said those convicted of offences linked to domestic abuse, including breaching a restraining order, would not be eligible for early release.
However, 37 men’s crimes had incorrectly been prosecuted under outdated legislation from 1997.
Because of this, the system did not recognise they were ineligible for release. It only looked at offences under the Sentencing Act 2020.
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Prisoners have been released early (file pic)
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Speaking to journalists during a visit to the United Nations in New York City, Sir Keir Starmer said he was concerned that they had been wrongly released.
He said: "It’s deeply regrettable that they were released. As I understand it, to do with the classification under old legislation and I think all bar one are back in custody.
"But of course, I’m concerned, and we’ll ensure that all victims have the support that they need."
Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood cut temporarily the proportion of sentences which inmates must serve behind bars from 50 per cent to 40 per cent during the summer.
Liberal Democrat justice spokesman and Eastbourne MP Josh Babarinde described the mistake as "deeply shocking news" and called on the Government to develop a “plan to reduce reoffending and tackle the prison backlog without delay."
He said: “The public deserves immediate action so that all those who were mistakenly released from prison are swiftly returned, and to prevent this from happening again. The Conservatives have neglected our criminal justice system, and now the chaos of their actions is showing.”
Domestic abuse commissioner Nicole Jacobs said: "Anyone who breaches a restraining order is likely to be a high-risk individual who may be fixated on their victim, undeterred by legal restrictions that have been put in place."
She added: "Probation should not rely on an individual’s index offence to determine risk but use local intelligence to understand if there is a history of abuse and exempt them from early release on that basis. I am encouraged that virtually all offenders released early appear to have been recalled, and efforts have been made to rectify the error so it cannot happen again."
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