Overview
- Brahim Kaddour-Cherif was arrested in Finsbury Park after a member of the public recognised him, ending a nine-day search following his erroneous release from HMP Wandsworth on 29 October.
- Police said they were told of the mistake only on Tuesday and deployed significant resources to find him, arresting him at about 11:30am for being unlawfully at large and on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker in a prior incident.
- A second Wandsworth inmate, William “Billy” Smith, who was also mistakenly released this week, returned to custody after handing himself in on Thursday.
- At least four other prisoners released in error remain unaccounted for, part of 262 mistaken releases in the year to March 2025, including around 90 involving violent or sexual offences.
- Justice Secretary David Lammy has ordered tougher release checks, commissioned an independent investigation and begun moves to replace paper processes, as police also continue to search for convicted kidnapper Ola Abimbola who absconded from open prison HMP Ford.