Overview
- Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, mistakenly freed from HMP Wandsworth on October 29, was arrested in Finsbury Park on Friday after a member of the public alerted police.
- Police said they were told of his wrongful release days after it happened and that the manhunt required significant resources.
- William “Billy” Smith, also released in error from Wandsworth, returned to custody on Thursday after handing himself in.
- Authorities report at least four other prisoners wrongly released remain untraced, with two cases dating to 2024 and two to June this year.
- David Lammy announced new release checks, an independent investigation and rapid digitisation of paper-based processes, as opposition figures attacked the government’s handling of the cases.