Kemani Duggan, the son of Mark Duggan (whose fatal shooting by police sparked the 2011 London riots), and Kelly Kershaw, a former Nationwide cashier, have both been released early from prison in separate, unrelated cases, prompting public criticism. Duggan, 25, was jailed for five years for possessing a Cold War-era pistol but has since been filmed enjoying himself at a rave, while Kershaw, 54, has been freed on home curfew after serving only a quarter of a 16-month sentence for stealing from vulnerable customers. Neither release is connected to the government's controversial scheme to free thousands of prisoners early to ease overcrowding, but both cases have drawn criticism from members of the public who feel the punishments carried little deterrent effect.

Duggan, known as Bandokay, admitted possessing a Zastava M57 pistol and 22 rounds of ammunition and was jailed in July 2024, but was eligible for release having already spent time in custody on remand. Kershaw, who earned £1,400 a month, stole at least £8,605 from customers including an elderly client and a man with learning difficulties, whose signature she forged, to fund holidays to destinations such as Dubai and the Maldives, which she showcased on social media. She admitted five counts of fraud committed between December 2023 and October 2024 and has now returned to her home in North Wales, where a local resident described her early release as a "terrible indictment of the system."