A ‘one-man crime wave’ car thief, drug dealer who proclaimed ‘I’m a lifelong Labour voter now’ and thug who said ‘riots did us a favour’ were freed from jail early today.
Around 1,700 convicts were released today under Labour plans to ease pressure on prison overcrowding.
Among them were hardened drug dealers, violent domestic abusers and repeat offenders who cast doubt over whether they would return.
One of those getting out today was Christopher Hope, 32, who has racked up jail terms totalling more than a decade since 2016.
He smiled for cameras with a big thumbs up as he left Holme House, a Category C men’s prison in Stockton-on-Tees, three months early.
Vowing to never offend again, he said: ‘I’ve been in here a few times. I’m always in here for pinching high-performance cars. But that’s it now. I’m not doing it no more.’
Christopher Hope (left), 32, was freed today from Holme House Prison in Stockton-on-Tees three months early from his four years and eight months term for swiping cars and burglary
Karl Wilson, 29, today waved to bystanders as he walked free from HMP Manchester, despite a hefty rap sheet. He has previously stolen cars and attempted to break into properties
Hope had been sentenced to four years and eight months term for swiping cars and burglary.
He added: ‘I’m excited. I can’t wait to see my family. Since they told me three weeks ago, I’ve just been counting down the days. It’s amazing to be out.’
Whether his victims will be able to take any comfort from his vow remains to be seen.
During his crime spree, Hope targeted the Billingham area of Teesside and – during separate burglaries – stole an Audi A4 and a Mini Cooper.
In 2020 Hope was jailed for two years and six months after being caught on CCTV.
He was jailed for four years in 2018 for a one-night crime wave which included targeting homes in Eaglescliffe while carrying a hammer and knife.
Former Hollywood actor Jason Hoganson, 53, who also got out today, boasts an incredible 109 previous convictions and was most recently jailed only last month for domestic violence
Hope was already was a ‘third strike’ burglar at that time, with house burglaries and aggravated vehicle taking convictions from 2011, 2014 and 2016, according to Teesside Live.
Jason Hoganson pictured at the time of his appearance in 1987 movie Empire State
The 2016 conviction – for which he was jailed for four-and-a-half years – saw him and an accomplice lead police on a high-speed chase after breaking into a family home and stealing a car.
Meanwhile, father-of-one Mark Burke from Dublin, who had just been let out of prison said rioters ‘did us a favour’.
Praising Sir Keir’s ‘great idea’, he said: ‘ All the rioters, I think they’re going to put them in here.
‘They’ve done us a favour. When we found out it was all good, all partying.’
Another convict happily getting out early was former Hollywood actor Jason Hoganson, 53, who boasts an incredible 109 previous convictions and was most recently jailed only last month for domestic violence.
Now heavily tattooed, Hoganson had a leading role in the 1980s film Empire State but as his movie career started to take off, he struggled with being in the spotlight and fell into a life of drink, drugs and crime.
In his latest offence, Newcastle Crown Court heard Hoganson was caught on doorbell video camera attacking his former partner in Newcastle on December 11 last year.
Prosecutor Amy Levitt said Hoganson already had a restraining order to keep him away from the woman when he attacked her.
Newly released convicted thief and shoplifter Connor Charlesworth, 24, from Chesterfield, stole £480 of jewellery from his girlfriend’s grandparents when he was house-sitting for them
In Thameside, London, repeat offender Ben Savage, 33, vowed to celebrate with a beer after his early release.
Miss Levitt told the court: ‘Footage shows the defendant assaulting the complainant. He slaps her to the face, and she walks away. He walks after her.
‘There are further hits and a push, where she falls to the floor. The assault continues while she’s lying on the floor. She describes him, having pushed her, hit her, kicked her and put his body weight on her. The assault lasted around three minutes.’
Judge Tim Gittins sentenced Hoganson to 18 months behind bars, most of which he had already served on remand.
Newly released convicted thief and shoplifter Connor Charlesworth, 24, from Chesterfield, stole £480 of jewellery from his girlfriend’s grandparents when he was house-sitting for them.
In 2020, Southern Derbyshire magistrates heard how Charlesworth swiped a wedding ring and two gold necklaces.
Stuart Bennett dances in the street after being released from HMP Leeds earlier today
As it was his first offence, he was given a community order and told ‘let this be a lesson’.
It clearly wasn’t, as earlier this year, Charlesworth was jailed after shoplifting from Asda and Marks and Spencer in Chesterfield town centre and was jailed for 18 weeks. It’s not clear what new crime led to the sentence Charlesworth was serving when released today.
Karl Wilson, 29, today waved to bystanders as he walked free from HMP Manchester, despite a hefty rap sheet.
He was given a two year and eight-month sentence in July 2023 after stealing cars and attempting to break into more than six properties in Sandwell, West Midlands.
He made away with two vehicles after stealing car keys from properties in Tipton and was later arrested at his home in Wolverhampton.
Tareen Shakil hugs his mother as he leaves prison in Birmingham six weeks early after serving half of a four year sentence for drug related offences
Djaber Benallaoua, who was released from HMP Isis this morning, said the early release scheme had turned him into a ‘lifelong Labour voter’
Wilson admitted burglary, seven counts of attempted burglary, six charges of vehicle interference and two thefts of motor vehicles.
In Thameside, London, repeat offender Ben Savage, 33, vowed to celebrate with a beer after his early release.
Raising his hand aloft, he told MailOnline: ‘I’m pleased to be out mate.’
He was released a week early after being convicted of shoplifting and was wanted on recall when he handed himself in to police.
He was handed another 16-week sentence earlier this year but was released from Wandsworth prison after just 20 days, he said.
But in a frank admission, he admitted his recent stint in prison was unlikely to change him significantly.
The labourer, from Staines in west Surrey, said: ‘I’ve been in an out of jail, 14 sentences in 12 jails – a couple weeks inside doesn’t make me a changed man.
A man and woman hug each other outside HMP Bristol as inmates are released from jail early
‘I was doing pretty well until I was arrested again, I was keeping out of trouble.’
He told MailOnline: ‘I’ve been given £89 discharge money, and I am going to get a couple beers with my mate.
‘I’ve been in for three weeks, so it’s not loads off my sentence. But this is the second time I’ve had early release.
‘I hate Labour, I’ve actually always been Conservative. And I got out even earlier last time under the Tories.’
Also today, the Justice Secretary said prisoners could be put up in hotels when they are freed early to ease jail overcrowding.
Shabana Mahmood told the Commons that inmates who are homeless on release could be temporarily placed in taxpayer-funded budget hotels if there is not enough space in bail hostels and other community accommodation typically used for offenders.
A watchdog also warned it was ‘inevitable’ some of the 1,700 prisoners being released on Tuesday from jails across England and Wales would reoffend and end up back behind bars.
Pictures showed groups of inmates walking out of Brixton, Durham and Liverpool jails.
Around 400 prisoners are reportedly due to be freed from London prisons alone.
The latest releases are in addition to the around 1,000 inmates normally freed each week.
Ms Mahmood announced plans in July to temporarily cut the proportion of sentences which inmates must serve behind bars from 50 per cent to 40 per cent as the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said overcrowding had pushed jails to the ‘point of collapse’.
Telling MPs today that the scheme coming into force was the start of the ‘rescue effort’ for the justice system, she added: ‘I have authorised probation directors to make use of alternative arrangements including budget hotels as a temporary measure, for the cases that we will see in the next few weeks.’
Downing Street said the policy had to be brought in to avoid ‘unchecked criminality’ where the police and courts are unable to lock anyone up because there are no free cells.
MoJ figures showed the prison population hit a record high of 88,521 on Friday, having risen by more than 1,000 inmates over the past four weeks.
Meanwhile it emerged Rishi Sunak ignored calls from Britain’s most senior police officers a week before the election warning him that failure to trigger the so-called SDS40 policy would be exploited by criminals.
A letter obtained by The Times dated June 27, signed by figures including Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and the chairman of the National Police Chiefs’ Council Gavin Stephens, said the overcrowding crisis in prisons was hampering police officers’ ability to do their job as they urged the then prime minister to put the plan in motion immediately because it would take ‘many weeks to safely implement’.
Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor said the Government ‘had no choice but to do something’ about overcrowding because ‘the bath was in danger of overflowing, and they either had to turn the taps off or they had to let some water out’.
But he warned it was ‘inevitable that some of these prisoners will get recalled to custody’ and that some will be homeless on release – increasing the risk that they could go on to commit more crimes.
‘If people are coming out, they’re not properly prepared, and they’re homeless, then what we’ll see is the danger that they’ll commit more offences, or that they breach their bail conditions, in which case they’ll end up back inside again,’ he said.
Yesterday, it emerged some victims were not prepared in the wake of their perpetrators being freed early, with The Times reporting hundreds had not been informed.
The Victims’ Commissioner of England and Wales, Baroness Newlove, branded it ‘regrettable’ that some had still not been told this was happening on the eve of the policy coming into force.
There are also fears not all criminals with a history of domestic abuse will be exempt from the policy despite efforts to keep them behind bars.
The Government said those convicted of sex offences, terrorism, domestic abuse and violent crimes would not be freed early under the scheme.
But because there is no single offence for domestic abuse, and only certain crimes like coercive control, harassment and stalking which are specifically linked to this were excluded, meaning other attackers convicted of crimes like threats to kill and actual bodily harm could still qualify for early release.
Domestic Abuse Commissioner Nicole Jacobs – who had called for a blanket exemption for all known perpetrators – said: ‘There is no justice in allowing perpetrators of domestic abuse to be released early.
‘I worry that it might not be possible for every victim to be notified of their abuser’s release and I fear they may be left blindsided, without the time to seek vital support and guidance’.
Rioters are among those who could end up spending less time behind bars as the Government last month confirmed those involved in recent unrest would not be specifically excluded from early release.
People spray a man with sparkling wine after he walked out of HMP Nottingham this morning
However, those convicted of serious violence and serving sentences of four years or more will not be eligible, according to officials.
Mr Taylor’s comments came as he published his annual report, which suggested ministers will not be able to build enough prisons to fit all criminals set to be jailed in future unless they overhaul sentencing rules.
His report said: ‘With the number of prisoners projected to grow by as much as 27,000 by 2028, it is unlikely to be possible to build enough new accommodation.
‘Alongside decisive short-term action, there is a pressing need for a much bigger conversation about who we are sending to prison, for how long and what we want prisoners to do while they are inside.’
The report also detailed the ‘desperate’ crisis of violence and drug use behind bars, as well as the lack of available rehabilitation that would keep people from reoffending.
Ben Griffin, who was jailed for assault and assault on a police officer, pumps his fists as he celebrates being released early from HMP Nottingham
Charities said the early release scheme would only ‘buy a little time’ and would not provide a lasting solution in the face of ‘brutalising’ conditions.
Andrea Coomber KC, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said prisons and probation needed to be completely reset after she described the ‘woeful education and training’ for inmates and ‘squalor, self-harm, drugs, violence and unmet mental health needs, all in the midst of severe overcrowding’.
Hundreds more prisoners are due to be freed early next month in the second stage of the scheme. But the Government is under pressure to find longer-term solutions to the problem, with prison figures warning without further measures the same problem could be faced in about a year’s time.
A MoJ spokeswoman said: ‘It is important for offenders to have a roof over their head when they leave prison, otherwise there is a high risk they will reoffend and end up back behind bars.
‘That is why the Prison and Probation Service has basic housing for offenders who would otherwise be forced to sleep on the streets with additional ad hoc arrangements only to be used as an absolute last resort.’