Displaying items by tag: mistaken release

Police are searching for two inmates who were wrongly released from Wandsworth Prison within days of each other. Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, 24, an Algerian convicted sex offender, was mistakenly freed on 29 October, and 35-year-old William Smith, a convicted fraudster, on 3 November. The incidents have triggered fierce criticism of justice secretary David Lammy, who recently pledged to tighten controls after another mistaken release in Essex. Kaddour-Cherif, who overstayed a visa issued in 2019, was on the sex offenders’ register for five years, while Smith had received a 45-month sentence for multiple fraud offences but was wrongly recorded as having a suspended sentence. The ministry of justice has ordered an independent inquiry to uncover the causes of repeated failures. Prison officers report widespread confusion, overcrowding, and low morale at Wandsworth. The police are continuing the manhunt for both men, amid growing concern over the integrity of the UK’s prison system.