THE heartbroken family of a little Alfie Lamb were not told his killer stepdad had been released early from jail.

Stephen Waterson was jailed for seven-and-a-half years in 2019 after he crushed the three-year-old to death with a car seat.

He was due to be released in 2023 but the Ministry of Justice confirmed he has now been freed from jail.

This means he has served just three years in jail – just under half his of his prison sentence – due to the 567 days he spent on remand.

Shockingly, Alfie's family were not told Waterson had been freed.

Sources have now revealed they would receive an official apology over the blunder.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “This was a despicable crime and our sympathies remain with the family.

“Waterson has been released under probation supervision after serving the prison part of his sentence but can be returned there if he breaches the strict conditions he is under.”

Alfie's mum Adrian Hoare was caged for two years and nine months in May 2019 after putting him in harm's way when placing him in the footwell.

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She was offered early release just five months later but her licence was revoked and was taken back into custody in May 2020.

Hoare has since been seen wandering around with a new blonde hairdo after her sentence expired in July last year.

Little Alfie died in a "matter of minutes" in Stephen Waterson's Audi A4 in February 2018 after the thug was said to have flown into a "fit of childish temper".

As the youngster sobbed for his "mummy", snarling Waterson told him "I'm not being told what to do by a three-year-old" before again slamming his chair back.

Alfie, who weighed two-and-a-half stone and was just over three feet tall, was crushed in a 9.5cm gap with 12 stone of weight on his tiny body in the first case of it kind.

"Arrogant" Waterson – the adopted son of former Tory cabinet minister Nigel Waterson – admitted manslaughter ahead of a re-trial.

The couple had gone shopping for cushions in Sutton, accompanied by Alfie, Emilie Williams, 20, Marcus Lamb, 22, and another young child in February 2018 when the horror unfolded.

Jurors were shown CCTV of Alfie running to keep up with his mum moments before he was put in the car for the journey back to Croydon, south London.

WEB OF LIES

Waterson had become annoyed at Alfie's crying and twice moved his front passenger seat into him as he sat at his mother's feet.

The maximum space in the foot well was 30cm, and, at the touch of a button, that could be reduced to just 9.5cm.

Terrified Alfie screamed for his "mummy" but Hoare just slapped him and told him to "shut up" as Waterson shoved his seat back.

By the time they arrived home, the boy, who had previously travelled in the footwell, had collapsed and stopped breathing.

Alfie, nicknamed "Little Tarzan" by his mum and Waterson, died from crush asphyxia three days later with injuries similar to those seen in a car crash.

Waterson originally claimed he had no idea how Alfie died but insisted it had nothing to do with the car seat.

Both he and Hoare cooked up a web of lies to cover their tracks after Alfie's death – with Waterson threatening to "get rid" of anyone who revealed the truth.

Hoare then lied to cops about what happened – claiming he went "floppy" after they were given a lift home in a friend's car.

She also tried telling emergency crews they had got in a taxi before changing her story, while Waterson tried to exploit his "powerful parents" to make himself "untouchable".

Frantic Hoare later text Waterson to say police knew they were lying – with the chilling truth later emerging.

Hoare eventually broke her silence and told her half sister Ashleigh Jeffrey what happened in a taped conversation handed to cops.

When officers searched the flat where the couple lived with Alfie, they found two children's car seats which could have saved his life.

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