HMP Wandsworth admits two inmates released in error in past week

HMP Wandsworth admits mistaken release of two inmates

Police are searching for two prisoners who were mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth within the past week. The men were identified as Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, an Algerian national, and William Smith, aged 35.

Details of the mistaken releases

The incidents follow a similar error just weeks earlier at HMP Chelmsford, where migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu was accidentally freed. He had entered the UK by small boat before his conviction and release mistake.

Political repercussions

The Justice Secretary, David Lammy, faces growing criticism after previously committing to tightening release protocols following the Kebatu case. The repeated mistakes have intensified scrutiny of the prison system under his leadership.

“The crisis in the prison system this government inherited is such that basic information about individual cases can take unacceptably long to reach Ministers,” said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice.

Wandsworth Prison’s troubled past

HMP Wandsworth has faced public attention before. In September 2023, former soldier Daniel Khalife escaped while awaiting trial for espionage charges related to Iran. He fled by attaching himself to the underside of a food delivery truck, sparking a massive 75-hour manhunt that ended with his capture in London. Khalife was later sentenced to over 14 years in prison.

Author’s summary

Two inmates were accidentally released from HMP Wandsworth, deepening a crisis for the Ministry of Justice already under pressure over repeated mistakes.

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BBC BBC — 2025-11-05

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