A LAG was seen jumping into a £200k Lamborghini just seconds after being freed early under Labour’s controversial scheme.
The prisoner at HMP Pentonville was met by a group of friends as he left jail this morning – before hopping into the super car and driving off.
4
A lag who was released jumps into a Lamborghini moments afterCredit: Tom Bowles
4
The ex-prisoner speaking to friends outside before hopping into the supercarCredit: Tom Bowles
4
Prisoners released from HMP Pentonville in LondonCredit: EPA
4
Djaber Benallaoua says he is a ‘lifelong Labour voter’ after being releasedCredit: Paul Edwards
He was just one of 1,700 prisoners who were released early after Keir Starmer’s plans to ease pressure on the justice system came into force.
Other ex-convicts were seen jumping into fancy motors with a Bentley also spotted driving off.
Lags being released early from jail are reportedly being handed McDonald’s vouchers and cash by prisons under a controversial new scheme.
It is now understood some freed inmates are being handed supermarket and McDonald’s food vouchers, as well as help with onward transport.
Convicts are also being put up in hotels rather than bail hostels under the radical plans.
At Holme House Prison in Stockton-on-Tees, a woman, waiting for her husband to be released from his fraud sentence, said: “They’re getting money to help them get home, as well as McDonald’s and supermarket food vouchers, but you know they’re just going to get drugs with them.”
Djaber Benallaoua, 20, above, was released from HMP Isis at 9.30am before being greeted by five pals who embraced him with hugs.
On his release, Benallaoua, a convicted drug dealer, said: “I’m now a lifelong Labour voter.”
The scheme comes despite concerns over reoffending with offenders being let out having served less than half of their sentences in a bid to free up space behind bars.
The policy will see prisoners released after completing 40 per cent of their sentence – rather than the standard 50 per cent – in a bid to free up 5,500 beds.
Follow our live blog below for all the latest updates …
‘It’s amazing to be out’
By Paul Sims, Senior News Reporter
Holme House Prison
A notorious crime-wave burglar was among those released early from prison today.
Christopher Hope, 32, was locked up after swiping cars during raids on homes but was released from prison more than three months early.
Posing with his thumb up, Hope, from Stockton, said: “I’m excited. I can’t wait to see my family. Since they told me three weeks ago I’ve just been counting down the days.
“It’s amazing to be out. I can’t wait to see my family and my step-daughter.
“I don’t want to go back in. It’s much worse now. There’s so much spice – it’s ruined the prison system.”
Mates cheer early release
By Ed Southgate, News Reporter
HMP Woodhill
Earlier today an inmate was released from HMP Woodhill to cheers from his mates.
He smiled as he walked out in a blue tracksuit and clutching a gym bag as his three friends ran up to him, filming on their cameras before going to embrace him.
He refused to speak to reporters outside.
The group hung around for a bit to chat to each other before one said: “Let’s get off these premises.”
They then got into a Range Rover and drove away.
‘I’ll return to a life of crime’
By Joe Hadden, News reporter
HMP Brixton
Steven Quinn, 43, who was jailed for commercial burglary, is back on the streets after serving just half of his 24-month sentence.
He claims it is only a matter of time before he’s behind bars again.
He said: “Anyone on GPS tag is guaranteed to be recalled within three months.
“If it isn’t for probation recalls, it’s for further offences.
“My mates all said they’re guaranteed to be back within 28 days.”
He admitted he is set to head straight back into a life of crime now he is on the outside.
He said: “Yes, I’ll return to a life of crime, because I’ve not been taught nothing. I’ve just been in the care system all my life.”
‘I’m going to get a couple of beers’
By Thomas Godfrey, News Reporter
HMP Thameside
Ben Savage, 33, was among the prisoners released from HMP Thameside this morning as he said he would celebrate by necking a beer.
The convicted thief, from Staines, Surrey, said he was let out a week before his month-long shoplifting sentence was set to end.
As he scoffed a pack of crisps while wearing the outfit he was arrested in, he said: “I’ve been given £89 discharge money and I am going to get a couple [of] beers with my mate.
“I’m starving. I missed breakfast this morning and they let me out before lunch.
“I’ve been in for three weeks, so it’s not loads off my sentence.”
Abuse victims ‘left blindsided’
Domestic abuse victims are being left “blindsided” by today’s mass release of prisoners amid fears inmates will reoffend.
Measures are supposed to ensure that abusers are not included in the thousands set free early today but campaigners have warned that perpetrators have slipped through the net.
It means that victims of domestic abuse could be left unaware that their abusers are out of jail and back on the streets.
The Domestic Abuse Commissioner Nicole Jacobs told The Sun: “There is no justice in allowing perpetrators of domestic abuse to be released early.
“I worry that it might not be possible for every victim to be notified of their abuser’s release and I fear they may be left blindsided, without the time to seek vital support and guidance.”
Lag dances for joy after early release
Serial thief Stuart Bennett, 48, of Keighley, West Yorks., was seen jubilantly dancing in the street outside Leeds Prison after his release.
In December he was handed a suspended sentence for an unknown offence but by February he was back in court for failing to attend a series of probation meetings.
He was released on unconditional bail but skipped future court hearings at Bradford Magistrates Court.
An arrest warrant was issued in April and in May he was charged with a series of shop thefts.
Bennett was again granted bail and the following month was jailed for eight weeks for theft and failure to surrender.
He was freed from prison but returned to court in August to be sentenced for failing to comply with the original suspended sentence.
Tory MP slams decision to house ‘dangerous’ criminals in hotels
Tory MP Neil O’Brien has slammed the decision to house “dangerous” criminals in hotels paid for by the taxpayer.
He told The Sun: “The release of these dangerous people is already becoming chaotic with a party atmosphere outside jails and dangerous people being stuck in hotels on the taxpayer expense. This whole disastrous unnecessary policy will end in disaster for law-abiding people.
“The Prison’s Minister has said only a third of prisoners should be in jail so it is sadly unsurprising that Labour have chosen to let dangerous people out of jail rather than deal with the 10,000 foreign prisoners clogging up our prisons or the 16,000 people on remand – a problem they are making worse by cutting court-sitting days.”
Dancing in the street
By Paul Sims, News Reporter
Holme House Prison, Stockton-on-Tees
Serial thief Stuart Bennett, 48, of Keighley, West Yorks., jubilantly danced in the street outside Leeds Prison.
But he was less forthcoming when asked to reveal what he was banged up for in the first place.
And his reluctance was perhaps understandable given his record makes a mockery of the early release scheme.
In December he was handed a suspended sentence for an unknown offence.
By February, he was back in court for failing to attend a series of probation meetings.
He was released on unconditional bail but skipped future court hearings at Bradford Magistrates Court.
An arrest warrant was issued in April and in May he was charged with a series of shop thefts.
Bennett was again granted bail and the following month was jailed for eight weeks for theft and failure to surrender.
He was freed from prison but returned to court in August to be sentenced for failing to comply with the original suspended sentence.
It’s party time at Stockton prison
By Paul Sims, Senior News Reporter
Holme House Prison, Stockton-on-Tees
Inmates cheered and whooped with joy as they were released from Holme House prison in Stockton-on-Tees.
More than 50 prisoners were set to taste early freedom from the Category C jail on Teesside, below.
Released in groups of up to six at a time, some celebrated with cries of delight while others wore beaming smiles as they passed through the large retracting metal doors.
One lag, who served time for fraud but did not want to be named, told how he was freed ahead of his scheduled November release date.
He added: “There are loads coming out today – there are 52 of us. We’re coming out six at a time, the next lot are just being processed now.
“I was meant to be out in November but instead of serving half the sentence in prison, they’ve taken 10 per cent off.”
‘It’s not so bad inside – I’ve been in worse places’
By Alex West, News Reporter
HMP Bristol
Pat Smith, 41, from Bristol, was one of the last to be released from HMP Bristol earlier today, clutching two large plastic bags.
He said: “It’s not so bad inside – you just have to keep yourself to yourself. But I’ve been in worse places and just happy to be out.”
Lag jumps into Lamborghini
Bystanders were left stunned after a newly released prisoner jumped into a Lamborghini seconds after being freed.
The lag at HMP Pentonville was met by a group of friends as he left jail this morning before hopping into the super car and driving off.
He was just one of 1,700 prisoners who were released early after Keir Starmer’s plans to ease pressure on the justice system came into force.
Other ex-convicts were seen jumping into fancy motors with a Bentley also spotted driving off.
Credit: Tom BowlesSummer rioters ‘did us a favour’, says shoplifter
By Joe Hadden, News Reporter
HMP Brixton
Mark Burke, 52, has spent 32 weeks in prison – just shy of the of the 35 he was supposed to serve for shoplifting.
He says the early release scheme is a “great” idea and last month’s rioters “did us a favour”.
Inmates at HMP Brixton were “partying” when they discovered the news that they would be released early, he claims.
The dad-of-one, from Dublin, said: “It’s a great idea.
“Some people who were supposed to be out next year are out today.
“All the rioters, I think they’re going to put them in here.
“They’ve done us a favour. When we found out it was all good, all partying.”
What has the Government said about hotels being used for those released early?
Shabana Mahmood, the Justice Secretary, told the House of Commons this morning: “We are working closely with MHCLG [Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government] colleagues to understand the impact on the housing sector but as with any time a prisoner is released, probation staff are working hard to prepare release plans including permanent and temporary accommodation.
“If an offender is at risk of homelessness upon release they will be housed in community accommodation. We expect to provide housing for the majority of offenders using existing provision.
“But should there not be enough provision, I have authorised probation directors to make use of alternative arrangements including budget hotels as a temporary measure for the cases that we will see in the next few weeks.”
Sexual offenders are being released early, says probation union
Bosses at the probation union Napo have said that sexual offenders are being released early, despite government guidance.
“Members have shared examples where those with both domestic violence offences and sexual offences have been released because of this,” Napo General Secretary Lan Lawrence told the BBC.
“When this has been challenged members have been directed to HMPPS [prison and probation service] guidance which has stated that the early release is correct and cannot be challenged.
“Members are extremely disappointed that this has been denied during several media appearances by government ministers and we have been challenging this in our media engagement.
“We call on the government to correct the record.”
‘Difficult decision’ to release prisoners – minister
Business minister Jonathan Reynolds told Sky News that it was “a difficult decision” to release the 1,700 prisoners.
Downing Street has said the policy was required to avoid “unchecked criminality”, where recently convicted criminals have been spared jail sentences because there were no places available.
Reynolds, below, placed the blame on the last Conservative government, which was voted out in July, saying the decision “should have been made prior to the election” but that it “had given up on governing”.
“Of all the scandals we inherited, I think the prison system, the justice system, is probably the worst of all,” he added.
Credit: Tom Bowles
How many people are in prison?
According to figures released by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) last week, the number of inmates has risen by 1,159 since August 2, the week when the UK riots began, and now stands at 88,521 – the highest level on record.
That leaves about 1.2 per cent of available space across the prison estate in England and Wales.
The 1,700 inmates released today is in addition to the 1,000 who are are usually released in a week.
The policy will see prisoners released after completing 40 per cent of their sentence – rather than the standard 50 per cent – in a bid to free up 5,500 beds.
But it will not apply to those convicted of sex offences, terrorism, domestic abuse or some violent offences.
Charities sceptical early release scheme will work
Charities said the early release scheme would only “buy a little time” and would not provide a lasting solution in the face of “brutalising” conditions.
Andrea Coomber KC, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said prisons and probation needed to be completely reset after she described the “woeful education and training” for inmates and “squalor, self-harm, drugs, violence and unmet mental health needs, all in the midst of severe overcrowding”.
One inmate released this morning from Strangeways said that mobile phone theft was rife and that the Victorian era jail was plagued by giant rats (see post at 13.50).
More prisoners to be freed next month
It’s worth noting that this is not the end of the controversial scheme.
Hundreds more prisoners are due to be freed early next month in the second stage.
But the Government is under pressure to find longer-term solutions to the problem, with prison figures warning without further measures the same problem could be faced in about a year’s time.
Rishi Sunak ignored controverisal policy to release prisoners early
It has emerged that Rishi Sunak ignored calls from Britain’s most senior police officers a week before the election warning him that failure to trigger the so-called SDS40 policy would be exploited by criminals.
A letter obtained by The Times dated June 27, signed by figures including Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and the chairman of the National Police Chiefs’ Council Gavin Stephens, said the overcrowding crisis in prisons was hampering police officers’ ability to do their job as they urged the then prime minister to put the plan in motion immediately because it would take “many weeks to safely implement”.
Stabbings, giant rats and phone theft: Strangeways here we go …
By Richard Moriarty, North West District Editor
Strangeways
A car thief who was the first to be released early from Manchester’s notorious Strangeways jail, below, has claimed conditions inside the prison are chaotic.
Karl Wilson (see post at 12.56) said: “There are drones dropping the drugs of most nights. And mobile phone use is rife.”
He explained how many prisoners are targeted after falling behind with debts for drugs.
He said: “So if you can’t pay for your drugs you get stabbed. Simple as. And there is nobody to help you like there is on the telly. You are going to get stabbed.”
Karl also said that mobile phone was rife and that the Victorian era jail was plagued by giant rats.
Credit: ALAMY‘Let’s get you a McDonald’s, bruv’
By Thomas Godfrey, News Reporter
HMP Isis
Two more prisoners were released shortly after 1pm with a group of 15 pals waiting for one inmate.
The man, hauling a blue bag of clothes, hugged pals who also filmed his walk to freedom.
Others let up a cheer as their mate emerged from the prison gates before one said: “Let’s go get you a McDonald’s, bruv.”
Credit: ALAMYTory MP slams decision to house ‘dangerous’ criminals in hotels
Tory MP Neil O’Brien has slammed the decision to house “dangerous” criminals in hotels paid for by the taxpayer.
He told The Sun: “The release of these dangerous people is already becoming chaotic with a party atmosphere outside jails and dangerous people being stuck in hotels on the taxpayer expense. This whole disastrous unnecessary policy will end in disaster for law-abiding people.
“The Prison’s Minister has said only a third of prisoners should be in jail so it is sadly unsurprising that Labour have chosen to let dangerous people out of jail rather than deal with the 10,000 foreign prisoners clogging up our prisons or the 16,000 people on remand – a problem they are making worse by cutting court-sitting days.”
‘Keir Starmer needs to get a grip of the prison system’, says lag
By Richard Moriarty, North West District Editor
Strangeways Prison, Manchester
A car thief was the first to be released early from Manchester’s notorious Strangeways jail.
Karl Wilson was locked up last year after he targeted six properties in the Black Country.
This morning he walked out into the Manchester rain after he was released as part of the government’s controversial new scheme.
Karl, 29, said: “It’s great to be out but the system is f***** mate. Completely. Keir Starmer needs to get to grips with the prison system. It needs more money, and a lot more attention. Not just messing around from the side lines.”
Prime Minister ‘uncomfortable’ with scenes of freed prisoners celebrating
Sir Keir Starmer is “uncomfortable” with scenes across the UK of prisoners celebrating their early release.
Asked if the PM, who is speaking at the TUC Congress in Brighton today, was “comfortable” with scenes of freed lags celebrating outside jail this morning, his spokeswoman said: “No, absolutely not. The situation is completely unacceptable.
“It is, however, the right thing to do to ensure that we did not face a situation where criminality would be left unchecked on our streets because we didn’t have enough prison places.
“So this was a difficult decision that it was the right thing to do to protect public safety.”
Credit: PA‘No time to talk, mate – got to get to probation’
By Rob Pattinson, Senior District reporter
HMP Bedford
The first releases from HMP Bedford came just after midday when two men, both carrying holdalls, walked out.
Asked if they were part of the early release scheme, one of the men replied: “We ain’t got time to talk, mate. We’ve got to get to probation.”
Credit: PACategories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education