diff --git a/crates/noirc_frontend/src/ast/expression.rs b/crates/noirc_frontend/src/ast/expression.rs
index 9be6f715a1..9e9ff2f592 100644
--- a/crates/noirc_frontend/src/ast/expression.rs
+++ b/crates/noirc_frontend/src/ast/expression.rs
@@ -106,6 +106,12 @@ impl Recoverable for Expression {
     }
 }
 
+impl Recoverable for Option<Expression> {
+    fn error(span: Span) -> Self {
+        Some(Expression::new(ExpressionKind::Error, span))
+    }
+}
+
 #[derive(Debug, Eq, Clone)]
 pub struct Expression {
     pub kind: ExpressionKind,
diff --git a/crates/noirc_frontend/src/ast/statement.rs b/crates/noirc_frontend/src/ast/statement.rs
index d4fabccea7..2792d51c41 100644
--- a/crates/noirc_frontend/src/ast/statement.rs
+++ b/crates/noirc_frontend/src/ast/statement.rs
@@ -51,6 +51,8 @@ impl Statement {
         last_statement_in_block: bool,
         emit_error: &mut dyn FnMut(ParserError),
     ) -> Statement {
+        let missing_semicolon =
+            ParserError::with_reason(ParserErrorReason::MissingSeparatingSemi, span);
         match self {
             Statement::Let(_)
             | Statement::Constrain(_)
@@ -59,10 +61,7 @@ impl Statement {
             | Statement::Error => {
                 // To match rust, statements always require a semicolon, even at the end of a block
                 if semi.is_none() {
-                    emit_error(ParserError::with_reason(
-                        ParserErrorReason::MissingSeparatingSemi,
-                        span,
-                    ));
+                    emit_error(missing_semicolon);
                 }
                 self
             }
@@ -85,10 +84,7 @@ impl Statement {
                     // for unneeded expressions like { 1 + 2; 3 }
                     (_, Some(_), false) => Statement::Expression(expr),
                     (_, None, false) => {
-                        emit_error(ParserError::with_reason(
-                            ParserErrorReason::MissingSeparatingSemi,
-                            span,
-                        ));
+                        emit_error(missing_semicolon);
                         Statement::Expression(expr)
                     }
 
diff --git a/crates/noirc_frontend/src/parser/errors.rs b/crates/noirc_frontend/src/parser/errors.rs
index d4a294482a..e788893c58 100644
--- a/crates/noirc_frontend/src/parser/errors.rs
+++ b/crates/noirc_frontend/src/parser/errors.rs
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ pub enum ParserErrorReason {
     ConstrainDeprecated,
     #[error("Expression is invalid in an array-length type: '{0}'. Only unsigned integer constants, globals, generics, +, -, *, /, and % may be used in this context.")]
     InvalidArrayLengthExpression(Expression),
+    #[error("Early 'return' is unsupported")]
+    EarlyReturn,
 }
 
 /// Represents a parsing error, or a parsing error in the making.
diff --git a/crates/noirc_frontend/src/parser/parser.rs b/crates/noirc_frontend/src/parser/parser.rs
index 98b4524756..2044a02c68 100644
--- a/crates/noirc_frontend/src/parser/parser.rs
+++ b/crates/noirc_frontend/src/parser/parser.rs
@@ -449,6 +449,7 @@ where
         assertion(expr_parser.clone()),
         declaration(expr_parser.clone()),
         assignment(expr_parser.clone()),
+        return_statement(expr_parser.clone()),
         expr_parser.map(Statement::Expression),
     ))
 }
@@ -714,6 +715,18 @@ fn expression() -> impl ExprParser {
         .labelled(ParsingRuleLabel::Expression)
 }
 
+fn return_statement<'a, P>(expr_parser: P) -> impl NoirParser<Statement> + 'a
+where
+    P: ExprParser + 'a,
+{
+    ignore_then_commit(keyword(Keyword::Return), expr_parser.or_not())
+        .validate(|_, span, emit| {
+            emit(ParserError::with_reason(ParserErrorReason::EarlyReturn, span));
+            Statement::Error
+        })
+        .labelled(ParsingRuleLabel::Statement)
+}
+
 // An expression is a single term followed by 0 or more (OP subexpression)*
 // where OP is an operator at the given precedence level and subexpression
 // is an expression at the current precedence level plus one.
@@ -1599,4 +1612,40 @@ mod test {
             );
         }
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn return_validation() {
+        let cases = vec![
+            ("{ return 42; }", 1, "{\n    Error\n}"),
+            ("{ return 1; return 2; }", 2, "{\n    Error\n    Error\n}"),
+            (
+                "{ return 123; let foo = 4 + 3; }",
+                1,
+                "{\n    Error\n    let foo: unspecified = (4 + 3)\n}",
+            ),
+            ("{ return 1 + 2 }", 2, "{\n    Error\n}"),
+            ("{ return; }", 1, "{\n    Error\n}"),
+        ];
+
+        let show_errors = |v| vecmap(&v, ToString::to_string).join("\n");
+
+        let results = vecmap(&cases, |&(src, expected_errors, expected_result)| {
+            let (opt, errors) = parse_recover(block(expression()), src);
+            let actual = opt.map(|ast| ast.to_string());
+            let actual = if let Some(s) = &actual { s.to_string() } else { "(none)".to_string() };
+
+            let result =
+                ((errors.len(), actual.clone()), (expected_errors, expected_result.to_string()));
+            if result.0 != result.1 {
+                let num_errors = errors.len();
+                let shown_errors = show_errors(errors);
+                eprintln!(
+                    "\nExpected {} error(s) and got {}:\n\n{}\n\nFrom input:   {}\nExpected AST: {}\nActual AST:   {}\n",
+                    expected_errors, num_errors, shown_errors, src, expected_result, actual);
+            }
+            result
+        });
+
+        assert_eq!(vecmap(&results, |t| t.0.clone()), vecmap(&results, |t| t.1.clone()),);
+    }
 }