Ex-Manchester City star Courtney Meppen-Walter was accidentally released from prison yesterday, it has emerged.
The 18-year-old walked free from his Lancaster prison after serving just five months of a 16 month sentence for killing two people in a car crash last year.
The teenager, of Middleton Road, Blackley, is now back behind bars after police revealed he was ‘erroneously released’.
Police Sergeant Danny Byrne said: “Officers visited Meppen-Walters’ address last night and returned him back to prison in Lancaster.
“We are speaking to the family of the victims involved in this case to keep them updated with what has happened and our thoughts continue to be with them at this difficult time.”
The former England under 18’s team captain was locked up after a crash on September 1 last year.
He was behind the wheel of a Mercedes C220 saloon doing nearly double the 30mph speed limit when he hit a Nissan Micra emerging from a side street killing siblings Kulwant Singh, 32, and his sister Ravel-Kaur Singh, 37.
After sentencing, Kushwant Kaur, Kulwant’s wife, said: “The driver has taken away my loving husband and father to my two children.
“Our life has been destroyed. Kulwant was more than anything I have ever loved in my life, nothing can replace him. I am pleased that justice has been done.”
A poem, allegedly written by Meppen-Walter in his prison cell, emerged on Twitter yesterday.
It said: “Everything in the cell neat.
“Days repeat and repeat.
“Faces the same, day after day.
“This is a place I don’t want to stay.
“Missing certain faces.
“Being designated to crazy places.
“Claustrophobic everywhere you go.
“Crazy criminals you wouldn’t like to know.
“Time goes quick.
“I wish there was a switch I could click.
“To turn back time.
“And take back everything that happened on the 1st of September 2012!
“Amen!”
Meppen-Walter cried as he was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on February 28 this year.
A Prison Service spokesman said they take any incident such as this very seriously and an investigation will take place into the circumstances that led to the footballer’s release.
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