Prisoner hands himself in after three days, as manhunt continues for migrant

A prisoner released by mistake earlier this week has handed himself in, while the hunt continues for a migrant sex offender also let free in error.

Billy Smith, 35, handed himself back in three days after he was released from HMP Wandsworth.

Police are continuing their efforts to track down Algerian national Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, 24, mistakenly released from the same prison on October 29.

It came as Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones said prison chiefs were being summoned for a meeting on Thursday and a team of digital experts had been tasked with overhauling the “archaic” paper-based system of prisoner records.

Surrey Police said: “We are cancelling our appeal to help find wanted 35-year-old William Smith who was released in error from HMP Wandsworth on Monday, November 3. Smith handed himself in to HMP Wandsworth today.”

According to ITV News, which filmed his return, he was accompanied by his partner, who he hugged before speaking to prison staff at the prison’s entrance.

Footage from the broadcaster also showed Mr Smith, wearing a tracksuit, running up a set of stairs outside the jail and having a cigarette before he returned inside.

Justice Secretary David Lammy responded to news of Mr Smith’s return to custody on social media, describing the spike mistaken releases as “unacceptable”.

He added: “We’re modernising prison systems, replacing paper with digital tools to cut errors. We’re working with police to recapture Brahim Kaddour-Cherif.”

Ahead of a meeting with ministers, the Prison Governors Association (PGA) described releases in error as “neither rare nor hidden”, but said the scale of them was “deeply concerning” – with 262 prisoners released in error in the last full year of reporting.

In a statement, the PGA insisted only 0.5% of prisoners are not released on the correct date, but added: “While that may appear to be a small percentage, in a system managing tens of thousands of releases and transfers each quarter, it does represent a significant operational failure.”

The conditions to “reduce this figure to zero simply do not exist”, the association said, adding it “feels disingenuous to see politicians attempt to extract political gain from a prison system in crisis”.

Justice minister Ms Davies-Jones earlier told the BBC: “We are convening an urgent meeting of the governors of the prisons to try and figure out exactly what is going on on the ground, because these, again, are the men and women dealing with this day in day out.”

It is not yet clear where or when the meeting will take place on Thursday.

The Metropolitan Police has meanwhile continued to appeal to the public over the whereabouts of Kaddour-Cherif, who the force believes is still in London just over a week after his release.

“We are actively searching for Brahim Kaddour-Cherif who was released in error from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday 29 October.

“He is believed to be in London and has links to Tower Hamlets and Westminster. If you see him, please call 999 immediately,” the Met said on social media.

The Algerian national is understood to not be an asylum seeker, but is in the process of being deported after he overstayed his visa.

He was serving a sentence at Wandsworth for trespass with intent to steal, but had previously also been convicted for indecent exposure.

Mr Lammy, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, had earlier faced criticism of his approach to the mistaken releases.

The Times reported he was aware of Kaddour-Cherif’s release and had prepared to address it when he filled in for Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, but did not.

The newspaper also said Mr Lammy rejected calls from Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle to return to the Commons and give a statement on the error as aides believed it would be “career suicide”.

The Ministry of Justice defended Mr Lammy’s actions, and pinned the blame on the crisis facing prisons.