Over 1,000 UK prisoners get early release to ease prison crisis

LONDON: The UK on Tuesday began the early release of a second tranche of 1,000 prisoners, causing embarrassment for the government as convicts were seen being collected in luxury cars.

A spokesman for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he shared “the public´s anger” at such scenes but that “there was no choice not to act” due to serious prison overcrowding.

One man was picked up in a black Rolls Royce by a group of men in matching hoodies outside a prison in Kent in southern England.

Another prisoner at the same prison -- who told reporters he had been serving seven years for kidnap and causing grievous bodily harm -- was collected in a convoy of a white Bentley and a black Mercedes G-wagon.

The scenes follow similar ones during the release of 1,700 prisoners in September when convicts were pictured spraying Prosecco around to celebrate their newfound freedom.

But Starmer´s spokesman said the government had been compelled to allow the releases, blaming the last Conservative government´s handling of the criminal justice system.

“If we had not acted, we would have faced a complete paralysis of the system,” he said.

“Courts unable to send offenders to prison, police unable to make arrests and unchecked criminality on our streets, so the government clearly could not allow this to happen,” he added.

The releases come as the government launches a review of sentencing to tackle the prison crisis.