A Bradford father-of-two is facing an extra two weeks behind bars – because prison chiefs wrongly released him early from his jail sentence.

Mark Williams, 32, handed himself in at Wealstun Prison, near Wetherby, after his probation officer told him he was being recalled.

Now his lawyers are considering a High Court challenge after he learned he is to serve an extra 14 days because he was “unlawfully at large.”

Mark, of Lidget Green, Bradford, was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment in April after he pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm to a man in Candy’s nightclub in Bradford.

The court heard he had planned to marry his girlfriend in August but Judge Roger Scott told him: “Your wedding will have to be postponed.”

Last month he received a prison letter telling him he was eligible to be released 18 days early. But when he went to see his probation officer he was told he was being recalled to prison because of a “clerical error”.

Mark’s girlfriend, Kim Stenhouse, 26, said: “Mark rang his solicitor who told him to hand himself in. I dropped him back at Wealstun.

“It was heartbreaking and I had to try to explain to the children why Mark wasn’t at home. They had never been as happy as when Mark was back at home with them.”

Kim added: “I am angry and frustrated.”

Mark’s solicitor, Rajan Mawji, said his client had been freed under the Government’s early release scheme. Mr Mawji said: “The prison authorities realised they had made an error.

“There are exceptions to the rule in the early release policy. If a prisoner has been convicted of a serious offence, like wounding, he cannot be released. He should never have been released in the first place.

“Now he has been told 14 extra days will be added to his sentence for the period he was unlawfully at large. It is incredibly unfair, as it is not his fault. He has done all he can by handing himself in.”

Mr Mawji has taken advice from a barrister and is considering whether to make an urgent legal challenge to the High Court.

A spokesman for the deputy governor of Wealstun Prison, Chris Dyer, said: “We are fully aware of the situation with Mr Williams and we are in negotiations with his legal team and Mr Williams himself.”