A prisoner who was jailed for 10 years for his part in a £3,000,000 money laundering scheme has been freed from prison.
Sheikh Yaqub Al Sabah, 49, was one of the thousands of prisoners who finished his sentence earlier as part of a plan to ease overcrowding in prisons.
The second release of inmates, which has taken place across the country and more than a month after the first round, has been launched to help the Government create an additional 14,000 spaces for convicts.
Around 1,700 prisoners were released in September in England and Wales – of which 37 were mistakenly freed after there there were system problems.
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said today those issues have been ‘ironed out’ for the latest release.
Across the country, inmates were reunited with their families who turned up in expensive cars such as Bentleys and Lamborghinis.
Speaking to Metro outside of HMP Wandsworth in south west London today, Al Sabah, who was wearing what he claims is a £3,000 Phillipp Plein tracksuit and served 4 years and 5 months of his sentence, said: ‘It is very nice to be released early, I hope that all the other prisoners get an early release too.
‘I couldn’t believe it when the officer said this afternoon I’m going to be released. I only believed him when he opened the door. I will celebrate tonight.’
Outlining his future plans, Al Sabah, who claimed to be part of the Kuwaiti royal family, said: ‘I will go back to my family and I will have a new future and a new life. My cousin is going to drive me home in the Lamborghini now.’
Ahmed, who arrived in the £250,000 Lamborghini Urus to collect his cousin, told Metro: ‘Prison doesn’t rehabilitate you, paedophiles and rapists are getting sent to jail and serving less than my cousin who was sentenced to 10 years. The sentence guidelines don’t make sense.’
Over in HMP Swaleside, in the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, one prisoner had an emotional reunion with his children, while another prisoner was also welcomed with an embrace as he was picked up in a black Rolls Royce by a group of men in matching hoodies.
A number of men were seen walking down the road with bin bags slung over their shoulders, one also shaking hands with a security guard, leaving the prison estates on the Isle of Sheppey, which is also home to HMP Standford Hill and HMP Elmley.
A white Bentley and black Mercedes G-wagon were among the cars seen coming to pick up people outside the prisons.
Over in west London, Ahmed, 27, spoke to Metro while waiting for his cousin to be released from Wandsworth prison.
His relative, who was not named, was jailed for 10 years in 2019 for allegedly laundering millions of pounds, but was due to be released earlier today.
As part of the second tranche of releases, the Government has expanded the eligibility to include those serving five sentences or more. Those who have served 40% of their sentence or more have been freed today.
People convicted of murder, sex crimes or terrorism are not eligible for release.
Inmate Daniel Dowling-Brooks meanwhile said ‘big up Keir Starmer’ as he left HMP Swaleside, adding that the first thing he plans on doing is ‘go to McDonald’s, go to my hostel and follow all the rules.’
Women’s Aid raises concern over release of prisoners
Farah Nazeer, Chief Executive of Women’s Aid, said: ‘Today, a second wave of prisoners are being released as part of the Early Release Scheme. While we recognise the need for action to address the serious issue of overcrowding in prisons, Women’s Aid is once again warning about the consequences this will have for survivors of domestic abuse and other forms of violence against women and girls.
‘After the first wave of releases last month, we’ve seen our long-standing concerns come to fruition. Specialist domestic abuse services, who have faced decades of chronic underfunding, are already struggling with capacity as more survivors are turning to them for wellbeing and advocacy support following the early release of perpetrators. Understandably, many survivors find themselves needing more mental health support, as they struggle with the idea of their perpetrator being let out early. This is resulting in huge waiting lists for local mental health services and will likely have a long-term impact on everyone who needs to access this support, not just survivors of domestic abuse.
‘To make matters worse, our members have told us that they are not being fully informed on how this scheme will affect them and the individuals using their services. This means they are left in limbo, unable to put safeguarding plans in place in advance. Specialist domestic abuse services, as experts and advocates for survivors, should be at the core of decision-making processes and planning, alongside the parole boards and probation services, but many are finding that their concerns aren’t being taken seriously.
‘In discussions with our members about the impact of the scheme, some have expressed that they believe there will be longer-term impacts which are not yet felt. As time from release increases, it is highly likely that perpetrators will become more comfortable, and with less interventions from probation services, that the risk to survivors will increase.
The government must listen to our continued warnings and take action to mitigate the very real risk that this scheme is posing to the physical and mental safety of survivors. Easing prison overcrowding should not come at the price of survivors safety, or even their life.’
At the time of the first set of releases in September, Britain’s prisons were almost at capacity, with a source telling the BBC there were only 80 vacant spaces at one point during the summer.
Harry, 27, who is homeless, was part of the last early release scheme but got recalled after failing to attend probation.
He said he expects to be recalled again because he won’t attend probation. His original offence was shoplifting several bottles of wine.
He said the early release scheme was ‘bulls****’, telling Metro: ‘They’re letting the wrong people out and getting the wrong people back in.
‘My original offence was shoplifting but I was drunk.
‘I was on the early release last time but recalled just because I wouldn’t go to probation.
‘I don’t do probation. They do rehabilitation. If you’re a serial offender then you get rehab.
What are the alternatives to locking people up?
The current initiative comes ahead of a major sentencing review chaired by former justice secretary David Gauke, which aims to explore tougher punishments outside of prison while making sure there is space to incarcerate the most dangerous offenders.
It will consider using technology to place criminals in a ‘prison outside prison’ and forcing offenders to do work in the community to give back to society.
The review will also consider whether more can be done to tackle prolific offending and crimes committed against women and girls by drawing sentences that reflect the severity of the act.
The Government is looking to foreign jurisdictions for ideas about how this could work, such as in Texas, where authorities have used good behaviour credits.
Punishments outside of prison could involve using ‘nudge’ technology, sobriety tags or home detention curfews.
Nudge watches or apps could be used to encourage compliance with conditions imposed on offenders.
Community alternatives and fines instead of prison time will be examined, as will the impact of short custodial sentences.
The number of prison spaces fluctuates, but it is understood there are some 89,000 prison spaces in total.
The Government has committed to creating 14,000 additional prison spaces.
‘I won’t be going. I’m going to get recalled again.
‘I’ve been homeless for years and will be going to Westminster because that’s where all the homeless support is.’
At HMP Manchester, known locally as Strangeways, around a dozen prisoners emerged from behind the giant steel doors of the Victorian-era prison.
None wanted to speak directly to media and many wore face masks or covered their faces with white release papers as they quickly headed for waiting family and friends.
One man would only say he had been released nine months early from his sentence of seven and a half years thanks to the new scheme.
It was not clear whether others were being released early or after serving their time.
David Gauke, the former Conservative Justice Secretary who is overseeing the review said: ‘Clearly, our prisons are not working. The prison population is increasing by around 4,500 every year, and nearly 90% of those sentenced to custody are re-offenders.
‘This review will explore what punishment and rehabilitation should look like in the 21st century, and how we can move our justice system out of crisis and towards a long-term, sustainable future.’
Mr Gauke argued in 2019, when he was justice secretary, that there is a ‘very strong case’ for abolishing jail terms of six months or less, with exceptions made for violent and sexual crimes.
The Prison Reform Trust said Mr Gauke would step down as a trustee from the charity while he is chairing the review.
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