Alleged rapists and paedophiles released by Labour to ease prison overcrowding crisis

Suspected rapists and paedophiles have been released by Labour to ease the prison overcrowding crisis.

Changes to the sentencing act have allowed suspects who would have otherwise been held in prison are being allowed home on bail.

Courts were told in March the amendments to the act had been made to ease stresses on the prison system amid an overcrowding crisis.

The first set of prisoners from Labour's much-maligned early release scheme, will be released in October - some will leave without ankle tags.

Ministry of Justice figures, analysed by The Telegraph, show that in the last year alone, 5,517 people accused of sexual offences had been released on bail by the Crown Courts.

This is the highest figure since records began in 2018.

More than half of all alleged sexual offenders who appeared before Crown Courts last year were bailed.

Those released on bail include 1,004 people accused of "sexual assault on a female", 886 alleged rapists, more than 600 people accused of sexual grooming, and 105 "abusers of children through prostitution or pornography", according to the newspaper's analysis.

Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark Rowley slammed the bail system after a prolific sex offender was repeatedly bailed, saying the "children should have been put first, not the paedophile".

On Thursday, it was revealed Zafer Dogan, 32, was released to his home which overlooked a children's playground despite repeat warnings from police and prosecutors.

The London-based offender used artificial intelligence to "nudify" photographs of women and children.

Detective Chief Inspector Brian Kelleher told the court he had been bailed to "effectively the area where he had been offending".

EARLY RELEASES - READ MORE:

• Violent drug dealer who fled prison in Labour’s early release chaos still at large 700 days later
• Robert Jenrick tears into Labour's early release scheme as over 1,000 prisoners will be freed without tags: 'Don't put these people on our streets!'
• Labour minister handed GB News grilling as hundreds of sex offenders set to walk free from prison: 'Where's the thinking?!'

Sir Mark, speaking after Dogan was handed a two year and four month sentence at Wood Green Crown Court, said: "The pressure to reduce the remand population has contributed to more dangerous and prolific offenders being granted bail routinely despite strong submissions from the police and CPS."

Andy Burnham admitted on Friday the Met chief's criticism of the bail system "needs to be heard", describing Dogan's case as "disturbing".

The Prime Minister said: "The failure to build prison places over a number of years has led to this unacceptable situation."

He added: "But we are where we are. I have to deal with it."

A spokesman for the Police Federation, the staff association which represents rank and file officers, told The Telegraph officers were "increasingly fed up with a criminal justice system that too often appears to prioritise the rights of offenders over the safety of victims".

A spokesman said: "Our members see first-hand the harm caused to vulnerable people and work tirelessly to bring offenders before the courts.

"When dangerous people who present a clear risk escape the punishment they deserve despite strong objections from police and prosecutors, it sends a damaging message to victims and leaves officers questioning whether the system is truly backing their efforts to keep the public safe."

Sir Mark, earlier this month, also warned of dangerous knife and firearm suspects being released back into the streets, with some cases leaving him "flabbergasted".