Man jailed for 9 years freed after court staff wrote 9 months by mistake

A knifeman who was jailed for nine years has been set free after court staff accidentally wrote nine months on prison forms.

Ralston Dodd, 25, was locked up in November, 2016, after admitting to stabbing Jerrell Holland, 21, three times in the back following an argument on in north London on September 18.

But Holland was left shocked after he spotted him walking free just weeks ago. An arrest warrant was reportedly issued after the court error was revealed but Dodd appears to have gone into hiding.

The attack, described as an ‘appalling act of violence’ by police, left the victim fighting for his life. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said it was urgently investigating the incident.

It is believed crown court staff misheard the judge’s sentence and mistakenly filled out prison forms for a nine-month jail term instead. The victim’s father told The Sun: ‘This is an unacceptable blunder by them.

He got nine years for stabbing my son three times. ‘He could have died. I held my son and thought he was going to die. How can this happen without anyone noticing?’