A prisoner has been charged with sexually assaulting a woman just an hour after being let out of jail under Labour's early release scheme, the Daily Mail can reveal.

The 31-year-old repeat offender allegedly assaulted a female prison worker while he was being given a lift to a railway station.

The incident raises serious questions about the Government's decision to release thousands of criminals early.

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood's programme, known as SDS40, allows criminals to be freed after serving 40 per cent of their sentence rather than half, due to jail overcrowding.

The sex crime allegedly took place on Tuesday – the first day of the scheme.