Eight men released early from prison are arrested again

Published: 01:21 BST, 12 October 2026 | Updated: 01:23 BST, 12 October 2026

Eight men who were released from prison under the Government's early release scheme have been arrested again.

Greater Manchester Police arrested the men set free under phase one of the Labour-led scheme after about 700 prisoners - including 50 from Manchester - were released on October 1.

Five of the men were arrested for breaching criminal orders or on suspicion of robbery, drug offences and domestic violence, while the three other men were arrested for breaching their license conditions, police said.

GMP Deputy Chief Constable Terry Woods said the force was working 'closely with partners to ensure that the most robust plans are in place to ensure offenders are adhering to their conditions'.

He added: 'As with any offending in GM, where there is a report of a crime we will respond promptly to take positive action to protect victims and pursue criminals. 

'This work continues by our hard-working officers and staff who are playing a vital role in keeping the public safe.'

The first batch of around 700 criminals released in an attempt to tackle prison overcrowding were serving sentences of up to 19 months.

By June next year, the early release scheme is expected to have released more than 4,500 criminals.

An inmate leaves HMP Brixton on early release with a white covering over his face on October 1

Around seven hundred prisoners, serving sentences up to 19 months, have been released in the phase one of the scheme

In response to the arrests, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said: 'We inherited a prison system on the brink of collapse. If we had failed to act, the police would have been forced to halt arrests.'

The eight arrests come after a registered sex offender released early was jailed again after committing 11 crimes in five days.

Michael Bogle, 38, stole more than £100 of washing powder from Sainsbury's just 24 hours after being freed alongside the other offenders.

He went on to shoplift a further £98.85 of detergent from Tesco over the next three days.

The prolific offender was seen entering a Sainsbury's store three times despite being banned from going near it in an attempt to steal more goods.

Bogle, a registered sex offender, declared, 'Keep the early release going, it's good' as he walked out of HMP Wandsworth on October 1.

He had served just 78 days for breaching a criminal behaviour order and a 32-week suspended sentence for shoplifting.

Asked for his message to Andy Burnham, Bogle said: 'Keep the early release going. It's good.'

He told reporters he did not vote but if he did he would vote for the Labour Party, before adding that he planned to celebrate 'by having some kebabs'.

An MoJ spokesperson said: 'We will never jeopardise public safety. That is why we are putting thousands more Neighbourhood Police officers on to our streets, upping police funding to £18.5bn and taking investment in the probation service to record levels.

'To manage offenders out on licence, we are rolling out the toughest-ever controls, including world-first restriction zones, the largest expansion of electronic tagging, and giving victims a say in licence conditions.'