The pervert - who the Ministry of Justice said was serving less than six months for a "minor sexual offence" - was the eighth to be freed since the start of the controversial scheme.

The scheme was introduced last June to create more space in overcrowded jails in England and Wales, and allows certain categories of inmates to be released up to 18 days early.

Some sex offenders are eligible if they have not been required to sign the Sex Offenders Register.

The 2,675 offenders freed in the month brought the total released since the start of the scheme to 23,716.

The total includes nearly 4,500 convicted of violence against the person, more than 500 robbers and 2,100 burglars.

Justice Secretary Jack Straw announced urgent changes to the scheme at the end of March after it emerged that two terrorists had been freed before the end of their sentences.

Yassin Nassari, 29, a maximum-security inmate described by counter-terrorist sources as a "committed extremist" was freed from Wakefield jail. He had been convicted of smuggling missile blueprints into Britain.

Another man, Abdul Patel, 18, was released early from his sentence for possessing an explosives manual.

In March, 75 offenders who had been freed early were recalled to jail, 33 of whom were suspected of committing new offences. So far, 820 criminals have been recalled, of whom 144 are on the run.