Early release prisoner back behind bars after committing 11 crimes in just FIVE days

Under the early release scheme, Bogle was among 700 other prisoners who had been freed before the end of their sentence.

He spent 11 weeks in prison after a 32-week suspended sentence for theft of laundry detergent and was being treated with anti-psychotic drugs.

As Bogle walked out of HMP Wandsworth, his message to Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, was to “Keep the early release going. It’s good. GPS tagging is better than prison.”

By 6.08pm on the day of his release (Thursday, October 1), he had already stolen £22 worth of laundry products from a Sainsbury’s in Brent.

By Tuesday, Bogle had been sentenced to eight months in prison after committing a total of 11 crimes and shoplifting every day since his release.

Matt Twist, Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police said: “While it is not surprising that someone with this history went on to reoffend, the speed with which he did so, and the impact on frontline policing, is astonishing.”

Michael Bogle, 38, is a convicted sex offender who has been linked to over 100 offences

PA

Probation officers working to prevent prisoners from reoffending are struggling to cope with the number of early releases, with staff below 26 per cent of the target.

Sir Mark Rowley, Commissioner of Police, said that officers were arresting two to three people a day who had been released early under the scheme, as well as having to deal with over 100 tag breaches a day in London.

Cassia Rowland, associate director in the public services team of the institute for Government said: “Prisons and the probation service simply cannot cope with the demand they are facing and this is having dire consequences: poor rehabilitation, sky-high rates of people being sent back to prison, sentences curtailed and prisons rife with drugs and violence.

“The case of this offender is sadly entirely predictable.

“With prisons riddled with drugs, poor preparation for release and little support to address the problems that drive people to offend this cycle will only continue, harming us all.”

Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, stressed the importance of probation staff when the early release scheme was announced in July 2024, although numbers have only increased by a mere three per cent.

The Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Philp, stated: “The Government did not even bother to tag all offenders on release, as they said they would, leaving criminals free to commit crime.

“Labour’s reckless and botched release scheme is unleashing a crime wave already.

“They did not need to do this. There are prison places available that could be used now with a little work. And it shows why the Conservative plan to build 50,000 more prison places is so important.”

Around 4,500 criminals are set to be released under the early release scheme over the next 10 months, with 650 to be released on Tuesday.