A ROBBER, shoplifter and two violent thugs were released from jails in Glasgow by mistake in the last three years.

Eight Scottish jails wrongly let inmates out between 2016 and January this year, including Low Moss, Polmont and Greenock prisons.

On January 23, one lag caged for a housebreaking was released in error at Low Moss nick in Bishopbriggs.

Freedom of Information figures revealed there were 10 liberations in error between January 2016 and January 2019.

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MSP Liam Kerr last night hit out at the findings and said the incidents could pose a threat to public safety.

The Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary, said: “These are very worrying mistakes and must be investigated further in order to protect the public.

“Scottish prisons have a duty to keep dangerous criminals behind bars to serve the sentences they have been given.

“The SNP has to ensure that all Scottish prisons have the resources and staff they need to function effectively.”

In October last year, Paisley Sheriff Court heard how convicted knife thug David Patrick was left on the streets when he should have been behind bars - because he was wrongly released by a prison.

He was taken to Low Moss Prison in Bishopbriggs to be held in custody after a hearing at Paisley Sheriff Court.

But the prison released him without authorisation – leaving him free when he should have been locked up.

In Greenock last year, a yob convicted of a police assault was let out by prison officers in error on January 26.

Less than a year earlier, an offender convicted of shoplifting and wasting police time was let out by accident from Polmont bosses on April 25.

At high security jail Kilmarnock, a crook who was already in jail for being unlawfully at large was also released in November 2017.

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The highest number came from HMP Kilmarnock and Low Moss prison, with two lags from each jail being released by mistake since 2016.

Super jail HMP Grampian, Addiewell private nick, Edinburgh, Greenock, Polmont Young Offenders Institution, and Inverness all freed one convict.

A Scottish Prison Service spokeswoman said: “Every year approximately 30,000 warrants are processed and 10,000 convicted prisoners are released from custody.

“Whilst we are never complacent, the statistics show that these errors represent a very small proportion.

“All liberations in error are reviewed internally.”