logo
'Chaotic' Pentonville prison released criminals too early and kept others locked up for too long, damning report reveals

'Chaotic' Pentonville prison released criminals too early and kept others locked up for too long, damning report reveals

Daily Mail​17-07-2025
A 'chaotic' prison released criminals too early – and kept others behind bars too long – amid a series of 'shocking' failures, a watchdog has revealed.
Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor placed HMP Pentonville on special measures after uncovering a series of major problems at the jail.
Prison staff had a backlog of release dates to calculate leading to mistakes being made, an official report said, including some prisoners being freed earlier than they should have been.
In a further serious failing, jail guards who were supposed to be carrying out a 24-hour watch on suicidal or self-harming inmates were asleep, reading books or even missing, it added.
'The prison was chaotic, with staff often unaware of who prisoners were or where they were located,' the report said.
'First night and induction arrangements were chaotic and even frightening.'
Staff at the Victorian jail in north London had 'failed to calculate sentences accurately', the watchdog said.
Prison data showed 10 prisoners had been released early 'in error' between July 2024 and June 2025.
In addition, 130 inmates – 20 per cent of those eligible for release - had been held after their release date in the last six months.
It opens the prospect of criminals being able to bring compensation claims for being released too late.
The report went on: 'The oversight of prisoners under constant supervision was shockingly poor.
'During the inspection, we found staff who did not know the name of the prisoner they were caring for, two who were reading books, one who was asleep, and, in another case, one who was completely absent.'
Mr Taylor said: 'Pentonville is an overcrowded, inner-city, Victorian prison with a record of poor performance over many years.
'Too many of its staff have become disillusioned about the possibility of improvement or their capacity to affect change.
'Yet many of its shocking failures are firmly within the control of leaders.
'The governor will need significant support and investment from HM Prison and Probation Service to strengthen his senior leadership team, re-focus on the basics, and put in place effective oversight and assurance systems to turn this failing prison around.'
The Category B, or medium security, jail was opened in 1842 and holds 1,200 men.
Mr Taylor has placed the prison under 'urgent notification' which means Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has 28 days for formally respond to his concerns.
His team also found a widespread infestation of mice and cockroaches at the 'squalid' jail, in Islington.
Prison Reform Trust chief executive Pia Sinha said: 'Prisoners illegally held after they should have been released, or others released early in error, further undermine effective sentence planning and erode public confidence.
'This urgent notification must be a rallying cry for immediate action - fix the failing infrastructure, improve staff training, and treat prisoners with dignity."
Andrew Neilson of the Howard League for Penal Reform said the inspector's findings were 'new low' for a Prison Service 'on the brink of collapse'.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Ryanair is forced to apologise after telling widow her dead husband would have to apply for £827 refund
Ryanair is forced to apologise after telling widow her dead husband would have to apply for £827 refund

Daily Mail​

time10 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Ryanair is forced to apologise after telling widow her dead husband would have to apply for £827 refund

A widow was left in tears when Ryanair refused to refund her dead husband's £827 flights - telling her he needed to complain from beyond the grave. Yvonne Shields' husband Colin Shields booked his flights to Venice, Italy, last year and was meant to fly out in September to represent Scotland at a powerchair football match. Colin was tetraplegic after he had an accident 14 years ago and needed two essential carers to accompany him on the flight, whose tickets he paid for. But when Colin tragically passed away due to brain bleed in April 2025, Yvonne contacted Ryanair customer support to notify them and request a refund. The 44-year-old said she was told she could not get a refund for the carers' tickets as it was against Ryanair's policy despite Colin having paid for them. She was promised a refund of only £258 for his ticket but claims she has not even received that either, adding: 'It's so upsetting and trivial.' When Yvonne got back in touch to chase the refund, she was reportedly told they could not disclose any information unless they speak to the original booker - despite being informed the 'booker is dead'. The mother said she even provided Ryanair with Colin's death certificate and proof that she is the will executor, but they still refused to speak with her and ended the chat. Ryanair have since apologised for the ordeal and said that she was 'regrettably incorrectly advised wrongly' by their customer service agent. Yvonne, from Glasgow, Scotland, explained: 'They said there's nothing else we can help you with and ended the chat.' She said the lack of empathy and understanding from Ryanair is frustrating and caused her to burst into tears. The mother-of-two said it is a lot for her to deal with while also handling grief and feels like she is 'bashing her head on a brick wall.' Yvonne added: 'I burst into tears because I have quite a lot to deal with right now since Colin passed. It's a lot. 'It's not like you're getting this clean slate to start again. I constantly have to deal with things. 'I've got two kids as well, 14 and 17, and it's dealing with their emotions as well. 'The fact they're not even giving me the money back is infuriating. It's like bashing your head on a brick wall. They're trying to speak to someone that isn't here, it's an unreasonable request. 'It's frustrating, it's devastating, you feel like you're nothing. We've dealt with so much because of his disability. Things are always that little bit tougher, harder.' Colin was paralysed from the chest down after an accident in 2010 and developed a condition called autonomic dysreflexia, which meant his blood pressure could soar and cause a stroke if not treated - which is what led to his brain bleed. Yvonne said: 'Colin had an accident 14 years ago, a month before our youngest was born. It's just constant battling and I feel tired, I feel drained, sometimes I want to just ignore it but my sister says 'you're not ignoring this, they stole from you.' 'It's the lack of empathy, lack of understanding, it's not a bog-standard person going on a flight, it's a disabled person. 'If you had a family member who died, surely you would think it's all cancelled.' A Ryanair spokesperson said: 'Mr Shields was due to travel from Edinburgh to Venice on September 16, 2025, but passed away prior to this flight. 'Mrs Shields attempted to submit a refund request on April 26 and was advised to submit a death certificate and proof of executorship. 'On June 30, Mrs Shields was informed that a refund (£257.58) was issued and was regrettably incorrectly advised by a customer service agent who wrongly believed that the other two passengers on the booking were not entitled to a refund. 'Our Customer Service Department would be happy to further assist this passenger to correct this customer service agent's error and assist this passenger with their refund.' Ryanair admitted the customer service agent also incorrectly informed Yvonne that the refund of £257.58 would be sent to her husband's Ryanair wallet, instead of the card used to pay for the booking.

Female Army musician sacked for groping six soldiers
Female Army musician sacked for groping six soldiers

Telegraph

time10 minutes ago

  • Telegraph

Female Army musician sacked for groping six soldiers

A 'predatory' female musician in the Coldstream Guards groped and propositioned six colleagues, a court martial heard. Lance Corporal Caitlyn Hawkins, 26, was dismissed from the British Army after she pleaded guilty to the sexual assault of four colleagues and committing disgraceful conduct of an indecent kind against two others. The clarinettist was handed an 18-month suspended sentence after a military court heard that she squeezed the genitals of a male colleague while 'staggering' back from a pub in London. Colonel Jim Carmichael, prosecuting, told Bulford Military Court that in May 2023, LCpl Hawkins left a pub in London 'heavily intoxicated' with three male colleagues. The court martial heard she walked up to one of her colleagues and moved her face close to his in an attempt to kiss him. Some time afterwards, LCpl Hawkins 'softly squeezed' his genitals for around two seconds. Col Carmichael said the male soldier was 'completely shocked' and said that for the rest of the journey to camp, she repeatedly put her hands on his crotch and buttocks. On that same walk home, she grabbed another one of the soldier's genitals without his consent for around one to two seconds before he pushed her hand away. She also touched the buttocks of another one of her male colleagues, who described her behaviour as 'inappropriate'. 'That's enough now' Another incident, which took place in June 2024, involved two female colleagues. One described that when she arrived at the pub, LCpl Hawkins was 'already quite drunk'. The court martial heard that after giving the woman a hug in greeting, LCpl Hawkins moved her hand onto the soldier's bottom, and then proceeded to 'stroke her back again and kissed her on the side of the neck'. She asked her colleague, 'Would your boyfriend mind if I kissed you right now?' In response, her victim said: 'That's enough now', and LCpl Hawkins left to go to the toilet. Later that night, at a different pub, LCpl Hawkins again started to touch the same colleague, 'squeezed her bottom' and cupped her vagina over her clothing. On that same night, LCpl Hawkins tried to touch the breasts of another female colleague before undoing her bra over her clothing. She was told to stop and moved away. Later on, in the toilet at the pub, LCpl Hawkins told the colleague, 'it's really annoying that you are straight and this attractive - do you not want to try it?' Col Carmichael told the court martial that LCpl Hawkins then put her hands on the woman's breasts and tried to kiss her. The court martial heard of a sixth victim, who said that between June and October of 2023, LCpl Hawkins had assaulted her on four occasions while The victim said on one occasion, LCpl Hawkins stood beside the woman and put her hand down her trousers, making 'skin to skin' contact. 'Willingness to treat them disgracefully' Chris Cannon, mitigating, told the court that LCpl Hawkins had no previous convictions and had been described as a 'model soldier' in character references. LCpl Hawkins apologised and said she 'deeply regrets' her actions. She pleaded guilty to seven charges of sexual assault and two charges of disgraceful conduct of an indecent kind at an earlier hearing. She was handed an 18-month suspended sentence and dismissed from the Army. LCpl Hawkins must also carry out 240 hours of unpaid work and 35 rehabilitation activity days. Judge Atwill said many of LCpl Hawkins's victims 'felt disempowered by your predatory behaviour' and were upset by her 'willingness to treat them disgracefully'.

Buntingford memorial unveiled to 'valiant' police dog Finn
Buntingford memorial unveiled to 'valiant' police dog Finn

BBC News

time37 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Buntingford memorial unveiled to 'valiant' police dog Finn

A bronze statue has been unveiled to honour the memory of a police dog who saved his handler's shepherd Finn suffered near-fatal injuries in 2016 when he confronted an armed suspect in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, while protecting his handler, PC Dave Wardell - now retired - was stabbed, but maintained that without Police Dog Finn's intervention, he could have been more seriously wounded.A Thin Blue Paw Foundation fundraising campaign raised £40,000 in 72 hours to pay for his statue. It was unveiled in Buntingford, Hertfordshire, on Sunday. "It was incredibly humbling when I found out that the foundation wanted to create a memorial in his honour and I was absolutely staggered by the response that the fundraiser had from the public," said Mr Wardell. "It goes to show how many people were touched by Finn's story."When his attacker was only charged with criminal damage, Mr Wardell campaigned for Finn's Law, calling for legal protection for service legislation was passed in 2019, as the Animal Welfare (Service Animals) BillFinn recovered from his injuries and continued working briefly, before he retired. He died in 2023 at the age of 14 and the memorial was unveiled on the second anniversary of his death. Thin Blue Paw chairman Kieran Stanbridge said Finn captured "the hearts of the nation".The charity rehabilitates, protects and celebrates both serving and retired police police dogs do not receive financial support from the force they served with meaning their ex-handler or new owner has responsibility for their care and vet bills. "Finn was one of the most decorated police dogs in our history and not only served his community valiantly and loyally during his career, but put his life on the line to save Dave during a violent and dangerous incident," Mr Stanbridge said. "We felt he needed to be remembered and honoured appropriately and we're proud to have raised the funds to pay for this beautiful memorial in his memory. "We also hope it will become a place of reflection and dedication for all police dogs, both past and present."The 80kg (176lb) sculpture of Finn was created by specialist animal sculptor Suzie Marsh and took 11 months to create. "I was delighted and honoured to be chosen for this project and feel the result is a fitting memorial to a well-loved, brave and special dog," she said. Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store