‘We know it’s you, you have a wonky nose!’ Police recapture migrant sex offender freed in jail blunder after FIFTY officers deployed ‘to save David Lammy’s blushes’
An Algerian sex offender who was mistakenly released from prison was caught again yesterday after 50 police officers joined the hunt to ‘keep David Lammy from blushing’.
Scotland Yard pulled crime-fighting officers from other jobs in London, using “significant resources” to find Brahim Kaddour-Cherif.
The offender was on the run for a week until prison officials discovered he had been mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth on October 29.
Kaddour-Cherif’s arrest was captured on camera by a Sky News crew after a homeless man tipped off police at 11.30am yesterday morning that the fugitive was hiding in an Algerian cafe in Finsbury Park.
Comparing the fugitive to the wanted photograph, a police officer told Kaddour-Cherif that the prisoner had a ‘very noticeable crooked nose’ as he claimed: ‘I’m not Brahim, my name is Ryan.’
Unconvinced, the police reached for the handcuffs and said: ‘You look the same as the person who was released from custody.’
As she was loaded into the police van, Kaddour-Cherif told the cameras: ‘Look at justice in the UK… It’s not my fault. They released me!’
He was arrested on suspicion of being illegally at large and assaulting an emergency worker in a previous incident.
Scotland Yard sacks other London crime-fighting officers as it spends ‘significant resources’ searching for Brahim Kaddour-Cherif
The criminal was on the run for a week until prison officials realized he had been released by mistake.
He is currently in the process of being deported due to his visa expiration.
Due to the high-profile nature of his wrongful release, which embarrassed the Minister of Justice, the Force was forced to seek help from experts, including officers from the counter-terrorism squad, to track down the fugitive.
The manhunt is estimated to have cost the force tens of thousands of pounds.
Normally, the Metropolitan Police can only assign a single officer to track down an offender depending on the risk they pose to the public.
Kaddour-Cherif was awaiting trial on a number of charges including possession of a knife, burglary and handling stolen bank cards.
The Mail understands the 24-year-old, who was convicted of exhibitionism and is serving a sentence for trespass with intent to steal, is not considered by police to pose a high risk to the public.
However, the high-profile nature of the case necessitated such a major police response at a significant cost to taxpayers, following Mr Lammy’s failure to clarify the matter during Prime Minister’s Questions.
Mr Lammy is facing a growing backlash over his handling of the case, with even his Cabinet colleagues said to be complaining about his “lack of rank”.
Manhunt estimated to cost force tens of thousands of pounds
Kaddour-Cherif was mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth on 29 October
Days earlier the minister had announced the toughest-ever release controls following the mistaken release of migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu last month.
Yesterday Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: ‘Fifty specialist officers were needed to catch him [Kaddour-Cherif] To prevent David Lammy from blushing. ‘Mr Lammy has lost control of the justice system and is too much of a coward to explain himself.’
Mr Lammy said last night: ‘I am appalled at the rate of error transmissions.
‘I’m determined to solve this problem, but there’s a mountain to climb.’
