The Ministry of Justice has apologised after BBC Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis was sent a letter by her stalker from inside prison.

Edward Vines, 47, of Clarks Row, Oxford, had been serving a three-year sentence for breaching a restraining order against contacting her when he was able to write to her from within Bullingdon prison.

Miss Maitlis said she felt 'scared and let down' that he could reach her despite being behind bars.

Vines also sent another letter - both intercepted by BBC security -  while out on licence under the supervision of probation services.

Yesterday he was sentenced to three years nine months in prison but Judge Peter Ross ordered the prison governor to write to him explaining the failings.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "We apologise unreservedly for this error and for the distress caused to the victim.

"We have significantly strengthened our monitoring procedures to prevent incidents like this from happening again.

"We would like to reassure the victim that any future correspondence involving this offender will be carefully checked, with staff reminded of the sensitivities of this particular case."

Prosecutor Julian Lynch told the court he was 'unsatisfied' by the explanation he had from the prison, who said there was nothing to stop Vines handing his letters to someone else to post.