Foreign prisoner mistakenly released from jail arrested

Police have arrested a foreign prisoner who was mistakenly released from jail more than a week ago, bringing the manhunt to an end.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed Algerian national Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, 24, has been arrested after he was spotted by a member of the public in Blackstock Road, Finsbury Park, north London, just before 11.30am on Friday.

“Officers responded immediately and he was arrested,” the force said on X.

Kaddour-Cherif was accidentally freed from HMP Wandsworth in London on October 29, but police were only informed of the mistake on Tuesday, prompting the search.

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

Another prisoner, Billy Smith, 35, who was also accidentally freed from the same prison on Monday, has handed himself back in.

The mistaken releases have brought fresh pressure on Justice Secretary David Lammy, following the high-profile jail blunder of Hadush Kebatu, the now-deported migrant at the heart of protests in Epping, Essex.

Stronger security checks were announced for prisons and an independent investigation was launched into releases in error after Kebatu was accidentally freed on October 24, prompting a three-day manhunt.

The Ethiopian national had been jailed for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman, but was freed by mistake instead of being sent to an immigration detention centre. He was later traced and deported.

But Mr Lammy, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, has faced criticism over his handling of the latest release in error after he repeatedly refused to confirm at Prime Minister’s Questions whether any more asylum seekers had been wrongly released since Kebatu.

Mr Lammy said he found out about the mistake on Wednesday morning, but the detail was released just after he had finished PMQs.

It is understood Kaddour-Cherif is not an asylum seeker, but is in the process of being deported after he overstayed his visa.

Mr Lammy said on Thursday that engineers, analysts and designers will be sent into prisons “within 48 hours” to roll out technology aimed at reducing human error and modernising the “paper-based” processes that have led to mistaken releases.

He announced the new measures after meeting with 11 prison governors at the groundbreaking of a new prison in Gartree, Leicestershire.