Disturbing fact behind intercourse offender free of jail as new ID system unveiled
Deputy PM David Lammy unveiled a new Justice ID system to track every person who enters the prison system from arrest, through the courts, into custody and back into the community
adush Kebatu, the now-deported migrant at the heart of protests in Epping, Essex, was freed in error last year(Image: Essex Police/AFP via Getty Image)
David Lammy has said it is “unacceptable” that 179 prisoners were released from jail in the last year as he vowed to reform the “archaic” prison system.
Mr Lammy, who is deputy PM and Justice Secretary, unveiled a new Justice ID system – a digital identity system – to track every person who enters the prison system from arrest, through the courts, into custody and back into the community.
For the first time, biometric technology – such as fingerprints and facial scans – will be used on all prisoners to verify identities at key points in the system, including releases from custody. Some £82million was pledged to cut release in errors.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said the move will replace “shockingly outdated system” where criminals can go by multiple aliases leading to confusion, unnecessary human error and offenders being let out when they should stay behind bars.
READ MORE: Disturbing truth behind three prisoners freed by errors and what happens now
Its announcement came as Dame Lynne Owens, a former Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner, said the problem is a “symptom of a broken system” in her independent review of wrongful prisoner releases.
Her review was commissioned afterHadush Kebatu, the now-deported migrant at the heart of protests in Epping, Essex, was freed in error, prompting a police manhunt. Kebatu had been living at the Bell Hotel when he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl.
On his wrongful release, Dame Lynne’s report criticised “poor communication between staff” at HMP Chelmsford, and said a disciplinary investigation was carried out into two of its staff – whose identities were not revealed.
She added that the physical prisoner escort paperwork had been marked “not for release” in his case but that this was not on the digital records, which created “inconsistencies on critical paperwork”. A gate pass was later incorrectly stated he was for “release”.
Dame Lynne added that Kebatu’s victims should have been contacted before social media reports had begun circulating about his mistaken release.
In her foreword, Dame Lynne added: “It would be foolhardy to suggest that all risk in a highly challenging operational environment can be mitigated or negated, but what is less acceptable is a failure to explain the risk choices that are being made at the most senior levels.
“Finally, a plea – this issue spans multiple timeframes and Governments. Now is not the time to throw mud but to consider how Parliament and all those leading the systems can pull together to protect citizens, including those who are retraumatised.”
Data released by the MoJ showed 179 inmates were wrongly freed between April 2025 and March 2026. Releases “in error” can include misplaced warrants for imprisonment or remand, sentence miscalculations, or the result of mistakes by courts or other authorities, the MoJ said.
Responding to Dame Lynne’s report, Mr Lammy said: “This independent review makes clear the unacceptable rise in release in errors have resulted from a broken system caused by 14 years of underinvestment and overcrowding in our prisons and courts.
“A system broken by over a decade of neglect cannot be fixed overnight, but in addition to the measures we put in place last year, today we are taking action to bring the prison system into the 21st century.“We are rolling out biometrics, a new Justice ID and up to £82million to bear down on these errors and keep the public safe after years of chaos. £20 million of this will be used this year to digitise the archaic paper-based processes we inherited, as well as putting in more checks and more staff in place to stop these mistakes before they happen.”
