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Manhunt After Two Mistaken Releases as Data Show 262 Errors in Custody System

New figures report 262 erroneous prisoner releases in a year, intensifying demands for fixes to custody processes.

Overview

  • Police are searching for 24-year-old Brahim Kaddour-Cherif after he was released from Wandsworth prison last week.
  • A second case saw 35-year-old William Smith jailed for fraud on Monday and freed later the same day.
  • Justice Secretary David Lammy said he is "absolutely outraged and appalled" by the latest mistaken release and said victims deserve answers.
  • POA chair Mark Fairhurst said one error followed a court telling Wandsworth a prisoner had a suspended sentence and another arose because a required warrant was missing.
  • The Prison Service annual digest records 262 mistaken releases in England and Wales in the year to March 2025, a 128% rise from 115 the previous year.