Second wrongly released prisoner arrested in London
A man who was mistakenly released from Wandsworth Prison on Oct. 29 has been re-arrested in north London, the Metropolitan Police confirmed.
Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, 24, an Algerian national, was taken into custody on Friday in Finsbury Park. Police had been searching for Kaddour-Cherif alongside William Smith, 35, who was also accidentally released earlier this week; Smith surrendered to authorities on Thursday.
Background and sentences
Kaddour-Cherif was convicted in November 2024 of indecent exposure and given an 18-month community order — a sentence that includes treatment and community service — and placed on the sex-offender register for five years. Officials say he was identified five years ago as an immigration overstayer but had not been deported. At the time of his erroneous release he was serving a sentence for trespass with intent to steal.
Smith had been serving a 45-month sentence for fraud. His release was caused by a court clerical error that incorrectly recorded a suspended sentence.
Prison errors and wider scrutiny
Wandsworth Prison — which has faced operational problems — did not identify the mistake in Kaddour-Cherif's case for six days. These accidental releases have become a flashpoint in the United Kingdom after an October incident in which Chelmsford Prison inadvertently freed Hadush Kebatu, an Ethiopian national convicted of sexually assaulting a teenager and a woman; Kebatu was at liberty for two days before being arrested and deported on Oct. 29.
Justice Secretary David Lammy said he was "outraged and appalled by the foreign criminal wanted by the police." He has faced questions in Parliament about the spate of accidental releases and the robustness of prison procedures.
Officials emphasize that neither Smith nor Kaddour-Cherif were asylum seekers: Smith is a British citizen, and Kaddour-Cherif never applied for asylum.
What happens next?
Police and justice officials are continuing to review the circumstances that led to the releases. The incidents have prompted renewed calls for improved record-keeping, clearer court-prison communications, and stronger oversight of prisons with a history of operational difficulties.
