A man accused of reoffending within hours of leaving prison had been released in error.

Amari Ward was one of 37 prisoners who shouldn’t have qualified for the government’s controversial early-release scheme.

The 31-year-old had just been let out of HMP Swaleside on Sheppey and allegedly assaulted a woman at Sittingbourne railway station shortly after leaving the prison.

It is reported that he later got on a train to London and was arrested in Croydon.

Officers investigated Ward’s case and discovered that he and the others had been convicted under an outdated law from 1997.

It was not recognised during checks as the system only looked at offences under the Sentencing Act 2020.

The early-release scheme, known as SDS40, allows criminals to be freed after serving 40% of their sentence rather than half as a result of jail overcrowding.

Those convicted of offences linked to domestic abuse, including breaching a restraining order, would not be allowed for early release, the government previously said.

The Ministry of Justice has since confirmed that 32 of those released early are now back in prison but five are still being searched for.

The department said police are working "urgently" to locate the others.

It also suggested the issue had been fixed for upcoming early releases and all victims had been contacted.