Inmate mistakenly released from London prison arrested after more than a week

LONDON -- A convicted enactment offender who was mistakenly released aboriginal from a London situation was arrested Friday aft much than a week of freedom, constabulary said.

Brahim Kaddour-Cherif was 1 of 2 men accidentally released from Wandsworth Prison successful the past 2 weeks that has caused a governmental headache for the authorities and focused renewed attraction connected an overcrowded and overwhelmed situation system.

The different inmate, Billy Smith, 35, who was sentenced to astir 4 years for fraud, surrendered astatine the Victorian-era lockup Thursday.

Cherif, 24, a registered enactment offender owed to a erstwhile indecent vulnerability conviction, was serving clip for trespass with intent to steal.

The Algerian nationalist who overstayed a ineligible sojourn to the U.K. successful 2019 was successful the archetypal stages of deportation erstwhile freed from the prison.

He was stopped by constabulary successful northbound London successful an apprehension filmed by Sky News. He initially denied helium was the antheral they were looking for and past said helium was not to blasted for being connected the streets.

“I’m not Brahim, bro,” helium initially told a constabulary serviceman who said helium recognized his distinctive nose. “Everyone cognize him, he’s successful (the) news,” Cherif said.

After constabulary officers pulled retired their phones to look astatine the photograph of the wanted man, helium efficaciously admitted helium was Cherif.

“It is not my fault,” Cherif said. “They released maine illegally.”

Both men were wrongly freed from Wandsworth, which was built successful southwest London successful the mediate of the 19th century, and was nether scrutiny aft another captive escaped 2 years agone by clinging to the underside of a nutrient transportation truck.

The inadvertent releases followed much stringent information checks that were expected to beryllium successful spot aft an asylum-seeker who inspired a emergence of anti-immigrant protests was mistakenly freed from Chelmsford Prison, eastbound of London, connected Oct. 24.

Prison chiefs were summoned to a gathering Thursday to sermon the errors and said efforts were being made to update a strategy that inactive uses insubstantial situation records.

The mistaken releases person go a root of heated statement and a governmental liability for the Labour authorities aft being a thorn successful the broadside of their Conservative predecessors.

According to authorities figures, 262 prisoners were released successful mistake successful the twelvemonth ending March 2025, a 128% summation connected the erstwhile 12-month period.

Conservatives accidental the Labour authorities is to blasted for a argumentation to merchandise immoderate inmates earlier to guarantee prisons don’t transcend capacity.

But Labour has blamed 14 years of Conservative regularisation and years of austerity that has starved the Prison Service of resources.

“We inherited a situation strategy successful situation and I’m appalled astatine the complaint of releases successful mistake this is causing," Justice Secretary David Lammy said aft the arrest. “I’m determined to grip this problem, but determination is simply a upland to ascent which cannot beryllium done overnight."