Twelve further prisoners mistakenly released, says David Lammy

Justice Secretary David Lammy has said that 12 prisoners have been released by mistake in the past three weeks, two of whom remain free.

This comes on top of the 91 prisoners who were released in error between April and October.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Lammy said there would always be “human error” when using a paper-based system in prisons and that the situation would improve after adopting a “fully digital system”.

He said there had been an “increase” in accidental releases, but added that it was now trending “down.”

Following the sudden release of migrant sex offender Haddush Kebatu, the government said additional investigations would be conducted.

The number of prisoners released by mistake increased rapidly, from 115 in 2023–2024 to 262 the following year.