Twelve further prisoners mistakenly released, says David Lammy

Justice Secretary David Lammy has said 12 prisoners have been accidentally released in the past three weeks, two of whom are still at large.

It comes on top of the 91 prisoners who were freed by mistake between April and October.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Lammy said there would always be a “human error” while prisons were using a paper-based system and that the situation would improve once a “completely digital system” was adopted.

He said there had been “a spike” in accidental releases but added it was now on “a downward trajectory”.

Following the accidental release of migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu, the government said extra checks would be put in place.

The number of prisoners who have been let out in error rose sharply, increasing from 115 in 2023-2024 to 262 in the following year.