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4h ago

Met Launches Manhunt After Prisoner Wrongly Freed From HMP Wandsworth

Police learned of the error nearly a week later, intensifying scrutiny of release procedures now 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
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Overview

  • The 24-year-old Algerian was released in error on October 29, the Prison Service notified the Met on November 4, and officers are conducting urgent enquiries to locate him.
  • Sky News reports he was serving a sentence for trespass with intent to steal and had previous sexual offence convictions, though police have not released his identity.
  • Several outlets have named the man as Brahim Kaddour-Cherif and reported a recent court appearance over sex‑offender compliance, which had not been officially confirmed at the time of reporting.
  • The incident comes days after the mistaken release of Hadush Kebatu from HMP Chelmsford, after which duty governors were told to personally verify release checklists and an inquiry led by Dame Lynne Owens was commissioned.
  • Justice Secretary David Lammy said he was "absolutely outraged," as official figures showing 262 erroneous releases in the year to March 2025 and HMP Wandsworth’s prior security issues drove renewed political scrutiny.