Particle.news
Download on the App Store
37 ARTICLES
·
4h ago

Met Launches Manhunt After 24-Year-Old Prisoner Mistakenly Freed From HMP Wandsworth

Police were told nearly a week after the error, intensifying scrutiny of prison-release checks already under independent review.

A Serco security van enters HMP Wandsworth prison in London, UK, on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. The UK's new government said it will release low-risk prisoners after they've served 40% of their sentences, compared with 50% currently, as part of a bid to address an overcrowding crisis in the country's jails. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Image
Image
Image

Overview

  • The Metropolitan Police said a 24-year-old Algerian man was released in error from HMP Wandsworth on 29 October and that they were informed by the Prison Service on 4 November.
  • Officers have begun urgent enquiries to locate the man and return him to custody, and he has not been named by authorities.
  • Sky News reported the inmate had been serving a sentence for trespass with intent to steal, a detail police have not confirmed.
  • The case surfaced as David Lammy faced heated questions in Parliament following the earlier mistaken release of Hadush Kebatu; Lammy later said he was outraged and pointed to enhanced checks and the Dame Lynne Owens review.
  • Downing Street said Sir Keir Starmer learned of the Wandsworth case from the Met announcement, as government figures citing 262 erroneous releases in the year to March 2025 fueled broader concern.