The U.K. has launched manhunts after two men were mistakenly released from Wandsworth Prison: 24-year-old registered sex offender Brahim Kaddour Cherif and 35-year-old fraud convict William Smith. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy has ordered an independent review led by Dame Lynne Owens and introduced stronger checks following public outcry. Government data show accidental releases rose to about 262 in March 2024–March 2025, up from 115 the year before. Experts point to overcrowding and operational pressure as possible factors.
Manhunts Launched After Two Prisoners Mistakenly Freed from Wandsworth Prison
The U.K. has launched manhunts after two men were mistakenly released from Wandsworth Prison: 24-year-old registered sex offender Brahim Kaddour Cherif and 35-year-old fraud convict William Smith. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy has ordered an independent review led by Dame Lynne Owens and introduced stronger checks following public outcry. Government data show accidental releases rose to about 262 in March 2024–March 2025, up from 115 the year before. Experts point to overcrowding and operational pressure as possible factors.
01:11, 06.11.2025Security
Manhunts Underway After Two Accidental Releases from Wandsworth
Searches were under way across the U.K. after authorities discovered that two men had been released from custody in error, marking the second and third such incidents in a fortnight and prompting sharp criticism of the prison system.
Who was released
Police said the first man, identified as 24-year-old Algerian national Brahim Kaddour Cherif, was 'released in error' from Wandsworth Prison on Oct. 29. Cherif is a registered sex offender who was convicted last year of indecent exposure, given an 18-month community order and placed on the sex offenders register for five years. Media reports say he returned to court in September charged with failing to comply with requirements for convicted sex offenders.
The second man, 35-year-old William Smith, was also released from Wandsworth on Monday, according to Surrey Police. Smith had appeared at a hearing the same day and was handed a 45-month sentence after convictions for multiple fraud offences.
Official response
Metropolitan Police officials said they were urgently working to locate both men. Paul Trevers, overseeing the inquiry, said authorities are working to 'close the gap and establish [Cherif's] whereabouts' after noting the suspect had a multi‑day head start.
“I am absolutely outraged and appalled by the mistaken release of a foreign criminal wanted by the police,” said David Lammy, the U.K. deputy prime minister and justice secretary, after the first release was reported. He added that the Metropolitan Police were leading an urgent manhunt and that officials had been working through the night to return the person to custody.
A Downing Street spokesperson described the releases as "utterly unacceptable," calling for system reforms and stronger safeguards to prevent future accidental discharges.
Context and review
These incidents come after last week's accidental release of Hadush Kebatu, an Ethiopian man jailed for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old, which triggered a two-day manhunt and his subsequent deportation. Government figures analyzed by the Telegraph show mistaken releases have more than doubled in a year: about 262 prisoners were released in error from March 2024 to March 2025, compared with 115 in the previous 12 months.
An unofficial review has begun and an independent investigation led by Dame Lynne Owens has been ordered. Ian Acheson, a former prison governor and adviser to ministers, told the Telegraph that overcrowding and pressure to move or release inmates quickly may have contributed to the spike in accidental releases.
Police remain on the hunt for the two men and the independent review is expected to examine processes at Wandsworth and across the prison estate to identify how the errors occurred and recommend reforms.