Disturbing truth behind sex offender freed from prison as new ID system unveiled

Disturbing truth behind sex offender freed from prison as new ID system unveiledDeputy 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 communityCommentsNewsSophie Huskisson Political Correspondent18:12, 15 Apr 2026Updated 18:12, 15 Apr 2026View 2 Images 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£82million was pledged to cut release in errors.‌The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said the move will replace "shockingly outdated system" where criminals can go by multiple aliases leading to confusion, unnecessary human error and offenders being let out when they should stay behind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 nowView 2 ImagesDavid Lammy has said it is "unacceptable" that 179 prisoners were released from jail in the last year (Image: Thomas Krych/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock)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,...