Prison System in Crisis as Mistaken Releases Spark Manhunts
One of the four prisoners who were mistakenly released and remained at large is now back in custody, authorities have confirmed. This development comes after a weekend revelation that a total of four offenders had been freed in error, with two released in June of this year and two in 2024.
Three individuals are still understood to be free, prompting a public appeal from the Prime Minister's official spokesman. On Monday, the spokesman urged the public to assist police with their inquiries concerning the three remaining fugitives. He told reporters, "The three remaining are subject to live police investigations. Obviously I’m limited in what I can say, but clearly we would urge anyone with any information to come forward to the police."
Mounting Pressure on Ministers Following Wandsworth Blunders
The government has faced intense scrutiny over these prisoners released in error after two high-profile cases from HMP Wandsworth triggered double manhunts. The first involved Algerian national Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, 24, who was arrested last Friday. He had been released from the south-west London prison on October 29, but Scotland Yard was not informed until the following Tuesday.
Kaddour-Cherif was serving a sentence for trespass with intent to steal and had a previous conviction for indecent exposure. It is understood he had overstayed his visitor’s visa after arriving in the UK in 2019 and was in the process of being deported.
The second prisoner, Billy Smith, 35, was also accidentally freed from Wandsworth. Smith, who was sentenced to 45 months for multiple fraud offences, handed himself back in on Thursday.
Justice Secretary Admits 'Mountain to Climb' as Error Rates Soar
These blunders have intensified pressure on Justice Secretary David Lammy, who admitted on Friday there is a "mountain to climb" to tackle the crisis in the prisons system. The situation was further exacerbated by the mistaken release of Hadush Kebatu from HMP Chelmsford on October 24. Kebatu, whose arrest for sexual assault sparked protests in Epping, Essex, has since been deported.
In response to these incidents, the government announced stronger security checks for prisons and launched an independent investigation into releases in error. The scale of the problem is significant. According to the latest Government figures, 262 inmates were mistakenly let out in the year to March 2025. This represents a staggering 128% increase on the 115 recorded in the previous 12 months. Alarmingly, 90 of these erroneous releases involved violent or sex offenders.
