Authorities are currently searching for two inmates who were erroneously released from a London prison in separate incidents over the past week.
Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, an Algerian national and registered sex offender facing deportation from the UK, and William Smith, convicted of fraud, were released from Wandsworth Prison on October 29 and November 3, respectively.
This development follows the recent mistaken release of Hadush Kebatu, a migrant sex offender who arrived in the UK via small boat, from HMP Chelmsford in Essex.
The errors have placed Justice Secretary David Lammy under scrutiny, particularly after his pledge to implement stricter protocols to prevent such incidents following Kebatu’s release.
During Prime Minister’s Questions, while standing in for Sir Keir Starmer, Lammy faced repeated inquiries about whether any asylum-seeking offenders had been mistakenly released since Kebatu’s case, but he declined to comment.
As PMQs concluded, the Metropolitan Police issued a statement revealing that a foreign national prisoner had been released in error the previous Wednesday, with the police notified on Tuesday.
Police later identified the individual as 24-year-old Kaddour-Cherif and indicated his possible connections to the Tower Hamlets and Westminster areas of London.
Sources within the BBC have confirmed that Kaddour-Cherif is not an asylum seeker and that Lammy was informed of the erroneous release overnight.
Reports indicate that Kaddour-Cherif entered the UK legally on a visit visa in 2019 but subsequently overstayed, leading to the creation of a “probable over-stayer” case in 2020. He was in the preliminary stages of deportation proceedings.
In November 2024, he was convicted of indecent exposure and placed on the sex offenders’ register for five years.
Court records show that on June 23, he appeared at Croydon Magistrates Court, facing charges of handling stolen bank cards in August of the previous year. He pleaded not guilty, and the case was adjourned for a future trial.
The records also indicate that the presiding district judge was informed that the defendant was being held at Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre, near Heathrow.
Immigration Removal Centres are typically used for individuals who have been notified of their impending removal from the UK.
On September 9, he was apprehended after officers confirmed he was wanted on a warrant for failing to appear in court, violating probation conditions, and breaching the conditions of his registration as a sex offender.
Prison sources suggested that it would have been imprudent for Lammy to address the incident during PMQs due to the “incredibly complex” details surrounding the case, involving multiple agencies and ongoing information gathering.
Lammy’s team stated that he was unaware at PMQs whether the individual was an asylum seeker and asserted that it was the responsibility of the Metropolitan Police or other entities to make the announcement, especially given that he lacked complete information.
However, some within the government fear that the public may perceive Lammy as deliberately avoiding transparency.
Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge, standing in for Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, repeatedly posed the same question that Lammy did not answer, instead focusing on the Conservative government’s record on prisons.
Following the Metropolitan Police’s announcement regarding Kaddour-Cherif’s mistaken release, Lammy issued a statement expressing his “absolute outrage and dismay.”
“Victims deserve better and the public deserve answers. That is why I have already brought in the strongest checks ever to clamp down on such failures and ordered an independent investigation, led by Dame Lynne Owens to uncover what went wrong and address the rise in accidental releases which has persisted for too long.”
He further added that the latest incident “exposes deeper flaws across the failing criminal justice system we inherited.”
Conservative Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp stated: “It is shocking that once again the Labour government has mistakenly allowed a foreign criminal to be released from prison.”
He added: “This makes a mockery of Lammy’s claims at PMQs to have introduced the ‘strongest checks ever’ on release.”
The Liberal Democrats have called for “a full explanation about how this has happened again” and why Lammy failed to address the questions during PMQs.
The party’s Justice Spokesperson, Jess Brown-Fuller, stated: “It’s utterly unacceptable that public safety has been put at risk yet again.”
Reform UK expressed “serious concern that the deputy prime minister inadvertently misled” the House of Commons.
Andrew Slaughter, Labour MP and Chair of Parliament’s Justice Committee, stated that the prison system had been “starved of investment” and faced “overcrowding and understaffing within a decaying prison estate characterised by chaos and instability.”
Hours after the Metropolitan Police’s announcement, Surrey Police reported that another individual, William Smith, had also been released in error from Wandsworth Prison in the past week.
In a Facebook post, Surrey Police stated that Smith had been sentenced to 45 months for “multiple fraud offences” on Monday but was released later that same day.
Sources within the BBC understand that Smith’s release resulted from a clerical error at the court level.
He was given a custodial sentence but it was entered in the computer system as a suspended sentence.
This error was identified and corrected by the court, but the correction was sent to the wrong recipient.
Police describe Smith as a white male, bald, and clean-shaven, adding: “Smith was last seen wearing a navy long sleeve jumper with the Nike brand ‘tick’ across the front in white, navy blue tracksuit bottoms with a Nike ‘tick’ in white on the left pocket, and black trainers.”
The police have urged the public to come forward with any information they may have.
According to the latest figures, approximately 262 prisoners in England and Wales were mistakenly released in the year leading up to March 2025, marking a 128% increase from the 115 releases in the previous year.
Staff at HMP Wandsworth have informed the BBC that the prison has been in a state of heightened alert following the accidental releases.
Security has been a significant concern at the prison for some time. An inspection report from the previous year revealed chaotic conditions on the wings, with staff on most units unable to confirm the whereabouts of all their prisoners during the workday.
In 2023, Daniel Khalife escaped from HMP Wandsworth while awaiting trial for spying for Iran.
Inspectors say the prison is doing “reasonably well” despite mixed progress with recommendations.
The early release scheme was launched in September 2024 as an emergency measure to tackle overcrowding.
The POA union says the accidental release at HMP The Mount is one of five in the last week.
A report published by the Prison Officers’ Association shows staff are struggling to cope.
The government has introduced new mandatory procedures after the accidental release of Hadush Kebatu from Chelmsford prison on Friday.