'Keep the early release going — it's good': Serial shoplifter committed 11 crimes in FIVE DAYS of freedom before Met chief called scheme 'astonishing'

From the Newshound archive · first published 9 October 2026.

Michael Bogle, 38, a registered sex offender with over 100 offences to his name, was back behind bars within days of being freed from HMP Wandsworth under Burnham's early release scheme — having stolen laundry detergent from Sainsbury's by 6pm on his very first day out. He racked up 11 crimes in five days, shoplifting every day since his release, before pleading guilty at Willesden Magistrates' Court and receiving an eight-month sentence.

Bogle had been flagged as a high-risk offender by the probation service before being freed alongside 700 other prisoners on 1 October.

Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist called the speed of reoffending 'astonishing', revealing neighbourhood officers spent an entire day tracking Bogle down at a cost of £1,887 in officer time.

Separately, police leaders warn 100 criminals a day are already breaching tag conditions, with probation staffing at just 26 per cent of its target as more releases follow.