Manhunt for Ethiopian asylum seeker sex offender accidentally released

“£2.3 billion towards prison builds over the next two years, with a target to open up 14,000 places by 2031
As part of the 10-year strategy to make sure we can always lock up dangerous criminals, prisons will be deemed sites of national importance, preventing lengthy planning delays, and new land will be acquired for future prisons
Part of Plan for Change and work to end prison capacity crisis, in parallel with the Independent Sentencing Review “.
So Labour are trying to address the problem; yet another thing they are not publicising enough.

vegansrock

The Tories cut prison budgets and handed over much of it to private contractors aiming to make a profit so experienced staff were let go and young cheap staff given about 4 days training then chucked into the deep end. No wonder the prison system is on such a dire state.

This prison was NOT run by the private sector.

Allira

vegansrock

The Tories cut prison budgets and handed over much of it to private contractors aiming to make a profit so experienced staff were let go and young cheap staff given about 4 days training then chucked into the deep end. No wonder the prison system is on such a dire state.

This prison was NOT run by the private sector.

It will still be understaffed and overcrowded, though.

And as a remand prison (which i think it is) will have more releases I don't doubt ...

Logically though, that should make them good at it. 🤔

Nano14

escaped

Mysterious definitely.

How many people have to "set free" or sign a prisoners out? I don't know, but surely more than just one person processes them?

Not really mysterious, it happens often. 226 times from March 2024 to March 2025!

Well of course it's mysterious because in the words of one government minister today, " no one knows how on earth it could happen!"

Escaped 🤣

It was aliens wot done it.

Hilarious! David Lammy says extra checks will be carried out on prisoners leaving prison following this accidental release.

People are sent to prison because they have committed a crime and need to be locked up. Security should be paramount. When they have served their sentence or are moving to other prisons or detention centres how difficult can it be to check they are the right people, check dates and destination when they leave?

Never mind EXTRA checks it should have been automatic to do this.

As Posters said upthread, the Prison and other services have been cash starved by government for years.

Primrose53 I think there is a lot going on for release.

I think it is quite difficult actually.

Lots of different papers which need cross referencing (by someonesenior), lots of different rules according to the person's licence etc. ...all the background stuff. Belongings, notifications money. Then there's warrants. All in a highly stressed environment with (likely) dozens of other releases on the same day and a shortage of experienced staff.

I have not done many pick-ups but it's not quick or easy I think.

All prisons have been starved of cash so employ unsuitable people with little training. Immigrants who come here on care visas are frequently employed.

I think we also have a society that tends to promote younger, inexperienced people rather than really experienced people. It happens across the board usually because there is an expectation in today's working world that you make fast progress and because younger, less experienced people are cheaper. Add in cuts in administration, streamlining suggested by the companies used by the public bodies for "restructuring" and you have the problems shown in this fiasco.

A lot of prisoners are on the lists for early release before they have served their full sentences.
The whole system is quite chaotic at the moment.

MayBee70

“£2.3 billion towards prison builds over the next two years, with a target to open up 14,000 places by 2031
As part of the 10-year strategy to make sure we can always lock up dangerous criminals, prisons will be deemed sites of national importance, preventing lengthy planning delays, and new land will be acquired for future prisons
Part of Plan for Change and work to end prison capacity crisis, in parallel with the Independent Sentencing Review “.
So Labour are trying to address the problem; yet another thing they are not publicising enough.

I will believe it when it’s up and running, until then it’s just wishful thinking on behalf of the Government.

Primrose53

Hilarious! David Lammy says extra checks will be carried out on prisoners leaving prison following this accidental release.

People are sent to prison because they have committed a crime and need to be locked up. Security should be paramount. When they have served their sentence or are moving to other prisons or detention centres how difficult can it be to check they are the right people, check dates and destination when they leave?

Never mind EXTRA checks it should have been automatic to do this.

Absolutely!
There does seem to me to be too much coverage of this one wrongly released prisoner when we know zilch about the other 225 🙈

Wonder why he got all the publicity?

Who picked up on that?

Maremia

Wonder why he got all the publicity?

Maybe because he was a convicted child sex offender who should have been transferred directly to an immigration detention centre for immediate deportation.

This whole stupid event reminds me of the old Porridge episode where prison inmates Fletcher and Godber escaped from prison on a coach and then begged to be let in again. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

GrannyGravy13

Maremia

Wonder why he got all the publicity?

Maybe because he was a convicted child sex offender who should have been transferred directly to an immigration detention centre for immediate deportation.

More likely because he ticks all the boxes to be demonised by the public as Public Enemy Number 1.

The irony, of course, is that rather than come across as a sex-crazed axe murderer, he seemed confused, asked to be readmitted to prison and made no attempt to hide who he was or his whereabouts. Apparently, he didn't have a phone, so wouldn't have known that there was a manhunt and the police wanted him to present himself at a police station.

GrannyGravy13

Maremia

Wonder why he got all the publicity?

Maybe because he was a convicted child sex offender who should have been transferred directly to an immigration detention centre for immediate deportation.

Well, it's a thought, isn't it!!
Perhaps the others who were wrongly released hadn't been convicted of child sex offences and on a deportation list.

There is no defence for any of it, of course.

growstuff

GrannyGravy13

Maremia

Wonder why he got all the publicity?

Maybe because he was a convicted child sex offender who should have been transferred directly to an immigration detention centre for immediate deportation.

More likely because he ticks all the boxes to be demonised by the public as Public Enemy Number 1.

The irony, of course, is that rather than come across as a sex-crazed axe murderer, he seemed confused, asked to be readmitted to prison and made no attempt to hide who he was or his whereabouts. Apparently, he didn't have a phone, so wouldn't have known that there was a manhunt and the police wanted him to present himself at a police station.

More likely because he ticks all the boxes to be demonised by the public as Public Enemy Number 1.

Ah, bless, he was just a man who'd been convicted of sex offences against child(ren), wandering around bemused.

You sound as if he deserves sympathy, growstuff.

growstuff

GrannyGravy13

Maremia

Wonder why he got all the publicity?

Maybe because he was a convicted child sex offender who should have been transferred directly to an immigration detention centre for immediate deportation.

More likely because he ticks all the boxes to be demonised by the public as Public Enemy Number 1.

The irony, of course, is that rather than come across as a sex-crazed axe murderer, he seemed confused, asked to be readmitted to prison and made no attempt to hide who he was or his whereabouts. Apparently, he didn't have a phone, so wouldn't have known that there was a manhunt and the police wanted him to present himself at a police station.

If you look at the link posted earlier about his crime, the hysteria is incredible. The way this has been reported by the press from start to finish has blown his actual crime way out of proportion. Whilst I get that the girls may have been discombobulated by his release, he was in far more danger than them just by virtue of the reporting. Yes, what he did was wrong but when he touched one girl, she asked him to stop and he did just that and doesn't appear to have touched her again. The other girl he kissed her on the cheek and signalled he would like her to kiss him on the cheek. He put his hand on her thigh which she removed and that was the end of that. He did make comments about them having his babies but he wasn't aggressive apparently. He knew one of the girls was only 14, the other was 16. I suspect in his country, that age would be considered acceptable. He shouldn't have done the things he did but he doesn't appear to be a crazed rapist! This was his first offence both at home and abroad.
Putting it into proportion, a paedophile I saw sentenced had comments made by the judge were that the 6-8 year old he had sexually assaulted by penetration was not considered to particularly young the defendant was not to be named and only had to sign the register for a 5 years. Yet in this case, it seems the defendant was not afforded the same courtesy.

Strangely enough I don't want to go back to a time where that behaviour was thought OK. That sounds like the excuses that used to be made for men when they harassed women at work.

Galaxy

Strangely enough I don't want to go back to a time where that behaviour was thought OK. That sounds like the excuses that used to be made for men when they harassed women at work.

I agree with you absolutely. That's not what I've been suggesting.