Michael Bogle, a 38-year-old registered sex offender, has been returned to prison after committing further offences just hours after being released early. Bogle was among approximately 700 prisoners released on Thursday, October 1, under a scheme aimed at easing overcrowding in jails across England and Wales.
According to The Telegraph, Bogle stole £43.50 of laundry detergent from a Tesco store in Wembley, London, on the evening of his release. Over the following three days, he stole an additional £98.85 of laundry detergent from the same supermarket chain.
Arrest and sentencing
Police arrested Bogle on Monday, October 5, and he pleaded guilty to his crimes the following day. The 38-year-old, who has 16 convictions linked to more than 100 alleged offences including theft, criminal damage and indecent exposure, has been sentenced to eight months in prison.
Bogle had been freed early after serving 78 days of a 32-week suspended sentence for shoplifting. He had previously said the early release scheme "is good" and that he would vote for the Labour Party.
Early release scheme details
The Sentencing Act 2026 allows eligible prisoners to be released on licence after serving one third of their sentence. The government changed the previous 40% to 50% thresholds to ease prison overcrowding, with data showing jails across England and Wales operating at around 98% capacity.
Inmates serving time for serious offences, including murder, manslaughter and rape, are strictly excluded from early release. Those jailed for crimes like theft and domestic abuse, such as Bogle who is serving his fifth prison sentence, are eligible.
Police and political reaction
Matt Twist, the Metropolitan Police’s assistant commissioner, said: "While it is not surprising that someone with this history went on to reoffend, the speed with which he did so, and the impact on frontline policing, is astonishing. Just one day after his release, he was captured on CCTV stealing from two supermarkets in north-west London. When local neighbourhood officers visited the stores, staff reported that he had continued shoplifting throughout the weekend."
According to The Telegraph, Bogle stole from Tesco on the day of his release before being caught on CCTV entering a Sainsbury’s store three times to steal. He was banned from going near the store at the time due to a criminal behaviour order.
Sir Mark Rowley, Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, said on Thursday, October 8, that officers were arresting two or three offenders a week who had been released early. He told LBC that they were now back behind bars. He said: "They were released early and went straight into a town centre in north-west London, committing multiple offences. My office has spent a couple of days chasing them down, got hold of them. They’re back inside now."
Chris Philp, shadow home secretary, added: "Labour let out this prolific offender early last Thursday – and he has already embarked on a crime spree, stealing and creating misery. The Government did not even bother to tag all offenders on release, as they said they would, leaving criminals free to commit crime. Labour’s reckless and botched release scheme is unleashing a crime wave already. They did not need to do this. There are prison places available that could be used now with a little work. And it shows why the Conservative plan to build 50,000 more prison places is so important."
