Gloating armed kidnapper who declared 'big up Keir Starmer' when freed from jail in Labour's release scheme is let out early AGAIN

By ISAAC CROWSON and RORY TINGLE, HOME AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT Published: 13:49, 24 July 2026 | Updated: 13:56, 24 July 2026 A gloating armed kidnapper who declared 'Big up Keir Starmer' after he was freed from jail under Labour's early release scheme has been let out early a second time.  Daniel Dowling-Brooks, 29, was among the first of 1,200 prisoners to be freed early in October 2024 and celebrated the moment by posing in front of a £150,000 Bentley.  The 29-year-old had been jailed for seven years for a horrific armed kidnap but was let out of HMP Swaleside in Kent seven weeks sooner than expected.  Last May, it emerged he had been recalled for violating the conditions of his release, though the details were unclear.  But he did not stay behind bars for long, with a social media video showing him being greeted by friends after being released early a second time in May.  The footage then shows him being driven in a Mercedes SUV by a man wearing a black balaclava.  Labour's latest early release scheme was paused by Andy Burnham yesterday after it emerged that the killers of murdered police officer Andrew Harper were being considered for early release. Dowling-Brooks was not part of an early release scheme when he was freed for a second time and the precise reasons he was let out remain unclear. His licence date is due to end in November 2031. Daniel Dowling-Brooks, 29, was among the first of 1,200 prisoners to be freed early in October 2024. He was later recalled but has now been freed early for a second time (pictured)  A social media video shows him being greeted by friends after being released early a second time in May When an offender is released early from prison, they are subject to license conditions for the remainder of their sentence, such as receiving visits from a supervising officer and staying in the UK. While in prison, Dowling-Brooks used a contraband mobile phone to post about life in prison. One post referred to his upcoming release.  'Home sooner than I thought, they givin me another chance in May,' it read. 'All praise be to Allah.' One photo the father-of-two uploaded from inside his cell showed his bed and prison items. He wrote: '£60 for full duvet/pillow set. But you only get £19.80 a week. They want you to starve for three weeks just to be comfy. Don't come jail it's not as good as it might look trust me.' This week he posted a picture of stereo equipment with the caption: 'Rappin ain't dead!' Dowling-Brooks also pictured his cell window with bars and the caption: 'Looks like it's an 8th summer in this bitch.' He used the same social media account to post from prison during his original sentence. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: 'Offenders released on licence are subject to strict conditions and can be returned to prison immediately if they breach them.'  When Dowling-Brooks was released in October 2024, he declared 'I love my life' as he posed leaning on the Bentley.  He said: 'I'm a dad of two so I'm out now and I'm very happy. I'm going to be good.' Talking about his crimes, he revealed: 'I kidnapped someone who owed my friend money. I tied him up and had him at gunpoint. I beat him up.' Dowling-Brooks poses in front of a white Bentley as he celebrated being released outside HM Prison Swaleside in 2024  The armed kidnapper pictured with his mother Sarah upon his release in 2024  His mother, Sarah, who was waiting for him, said: 'He's going to be good now. He has done his time. I'm so happy he is home.' He had previously been given a seven-year sentence for kidnapping and grievous bodily harm. He was one of hundreds of prisoners to be greeted by family members with high-end super cars as they walked out. Plans for some 6,000 criminals to be released early under the new Sentencing Act were due to come into force in September. But the early release scheme was paused yesterday after outrage from victims' families. Mr Burnham said that no prisoners would be released under the policy until an 'urgent review' was conducted into how to 'minimise risk to the public'. He said in a post on X: 'Keeping the public safe will always be my top priority. 'I have instructed my team to put a pause on the sentencing changes that were due to start in September. [...] Where changes are needed, I will not hesitate to make them.' Tory leader Kemi Badenoch responded by saying that the 'pause' was not enough. She wrote on X: 'I welcome this 'pause' but you have only suspended one part of early release, pending yet another review. We have been campaigning against this dangerous scheme from day one.' She called for killers, rapists and child abusers to be exempted from the scheme permanently, adding: 'Your scheme is still letting offenders out early, today, every day.'