Repeat offender jailed after committing 11 crimes within five days of release
Michael Bogle, a 38-year-old with 100 previous convictions, was released early under Labour's early release scheme on 1 October and committed 11 crimes within five days. He stole more than £100 of washing powder from Sainsbury's just 24 hours after his release, followed by a further £98.85 of detergent from Tesco, and attempted further thefts from supermarkets from which he was banned. He was arrested on Monday and pleaded guilty on Tuesday, receiving an eight-month prison sentence, despite having praised the early release scheme when he left HMP Wandsworth.
The case has sparked fierce criticism of the early release programme from senior police figures concerned about rising crime and system failures. Met Police Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist expressed surprise at how quickly Bogle reoffended, noting he was captured on CCTV stealing within a day of release. Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley highlighted wider problems with the scheme, citing over 100 electronic tag breaches daily in London, a doubling of arrest warrants, and rising numbers of early release offenders reoffending or breaching court orders, raising concerns that the scheme is undermining public safety and police effectiveness.
- Early release prisoner reoffended 11 times in five days, stealing detergent from supermarkets
- Arrested within days and sentenced to eight months despite praising the scheme upon release
- Met Police chief condemns the programme, citing rising tag breaches and reoffending rates
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The Government introduced an early release scheme to tackle severe overcrowding in Britain's prisons. Under the scheme, some prisoners are freed early to make space for others, a measure designed to manage pressure on the prison system.
Michael Bogle is a 38-year-old man with a long history of crime, having previously been convicted more than 100 times. When he was released under the scheme on 1 October, he stole washing powder and detergent from supermarkets within just five days, leading to his swift arrest and an eight-month prison sentence.
Senior police figures have raised serious concerns about the early release scheme following Bogle's case. They point to rising crime, multiple breaches of electronic tags, and growing numbers of released prisoners reoffending as evidence that the scheme may be undermining public safety.
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The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Prison overcrowding is a genuine crisis that endangers both inmates and staff, and early release schemes with proper support can reduce reoffending rates and address root causes like homelessness and addiction more effectively than extended incarceration. Whilst any individual failure is regrettable, one dramatic case should not invalidate a policy that enables thousands of individuals to rebuild their lives with transitional support and addresses a systemic problem that would otherwise perpetuate cycles of incarceration and crime.
The case against
The rapid reoffending demonstrated by this case, coupled with police data showing over 100 tag breaches daily in London and rising reoffending rates amongst early release offenders, indicates serious failures in either the scheme's design or implementation. Public safety must remain the primary concern when prisons have capacity to manage transfers, and the visible strain on police resources—with doubled arrest warrant numbers—suggests the scheme is creating public protection risks that justify careful reconsideration of its scope and whether adequate supervision and support services can genuinely be delivered.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “The early release prisoner who committed 11 crimes in five days: Shoplifter is back in jail after thieving spree just hours into freedom as Met chief condemns Labour scheme”.