Police hunt for two men mistakenly released from London prison

Police are searching for two prisoners who were mistakenly released separately from a London prison last week.

Algerian Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, who was facing deportation from the UK, and convicted fraudster William Smith were released from Wandsworth Prison on 29 October and 3 November respectively.

It comes just weeks after migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu, who arrived in the UK on a small boat, was also mistakenly released from HMP Chelmsford in Essex.

Justice Secretary David Lammy has come under fire after Kebatu’s release promised to impose extra checks to prevent similar cases.

During Prime Minister’s Questions, Lammy, who replaced Sir Keir Starmer, was asked whether any asylum-seeking criminals had been released from prison by mistake since Kebatu’s release, but he refused to answer.

As PMQs drew to a close, the Met Police released a statement revealing that a foreign prisoner had been released by mistake last Wednesday, and police were notified on Tuesday.

Police later confirmed the man was Kaddour-Cherif, 24, and they believed he had links to Tower Hamlets and Westminster in London.

The BBC was told that he was not an asylum seeker and that Lammy had been informed that he had been accidentally released overnight.

It is understood that Kaddour-Cherif entered the UK legally on a visit visa in 2019, but overstayed his visa due to a “possible overstay” case that arose in 2020.

Court records show he appeared at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on June 23 and was charged with using stolen bank cards in August last year. He denied the allegation and the case was adjourned for a future hearing.

Shadow defense secretary James Cartlidge, a stand-in for Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, repeatedly asked the same question, which Lammy did not answer, instead asking about the Conservative government’s records on prisons.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman later said: “As we entered Parliament [of Commons]The facts of the case were still emerging, and the deputy prime minister had not been properly briefed on key details, including the criminal’s immigration status.

“DPM waited for the PMQs and other facts to emerge before making a statement.”

After the Met Police announced Kaddour-Cherif had been released in error, Lammy released a statement saying he was “absolutely outraged and appalled”.

“Victims deserve better and the public deserves answers.

“That is why I have launched the strongest ever controls to prevent such failures and ordered an independent investigation, led by Dame Lynne Owens, to uncover what went wrong and address the rise in accidental releases that has persisted for too long.”

Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: “It is shocking that the Labor government has once again mistakenly allowed a foreign criminal to be released from prison.”

“This makes a mockery of Lammy’s claims on PMQs that it introduced the ‘strongest controls ever’ when it launched.”

The Liberal Democrats’ justice spokesman, Jess Brown-Fuller, called for “a full explanation of how this happened again”.

Reform UK said it was “gravely concerned that the deputy prime minister has inadvertently misled the House of Commons”.

Andrew Slaughter, Labor MP and Chairman of the Parliamentary Justice Committee, said the prison system was “starved of investment” and faced “overcrowding and understaffing in a decaying prison estate characterized by chaos and instability”.

Hours after the Met Police’s announcement, Surrey Police said another man – William Smith – had been mistakenly released from Wandsworth Prison last week.

In a Facebook post, Surrey Police said Smith was sentenced to 45 months in prison on Monday for “multiple fraud offences” but was released later the same day.

“The BBC understands that Smith was mistakenly recorded as being given a suspended sentence rather than a custodial sentence.”

The error was corrected by the court, but the amendment was sent to the wrong person.

Police say Smith is described as white, bald and clean shaven, adding: “Smith was last seen wearing a navy blue long-sleeved sweater with a Nike brand ‘tick’ on the front, white navy sweatpants with a white Nike ‘tick’ on the left pocket, and black sneakers.”

Police asked the public to get in touch if they have any information.

According to the latest figures, around 262 prisoners were mistakenly released in England and Wales by March 2025; This figure reached 115, an increase of 128% compared to the previous year.

Staff at HMP Wandsworth told the BBC there was panic in the prison following the accidental release.

Security has been a major concern at the prison for some time. An inspection report last year revealed chaos in the wings, with staff in most units unable to verify the whereabouts of all inmates during the working day.

in 2023 Daniel Khalife escapes HMP Wandsworth While awaiting trial for spying for Iran.