A police manhunt is under way after a man jailed for abducting his son was inadvertently released from prison two weeks ago. Ifedayo Adeyeye, 57, is feared to have fled the country after being mistakenly let go from HMP Pentonville in north London, according to Scotland Yard.
The Nigerian-British national was serving a six-month sentence for kidnapping his five-year-old son Laurys and taking him to Nigeria. However, a High Court judge had ordered that Adeyeye serve a 12-month sentence after he failed to return the boy to his mother in the UK. He was released before he could start that sentence due to a prison error, leaving him 'unlawfully at large'.
His whereabouts are unknown, but it is believed his son remains in Nigeria. Judge Hayden, who oversaw the case, has allowed publication of images of Adeyeye and Laurys to help the public ensure the father returns to custody. Claire Mireille N’Djosse, Laurys’s mother, has been left 'devastated' by the prison’s error, the judge said.
The prison stated that it did not receive the new 12-month warrant until 6pm on April 20, and it was not flagged before his release the following day. A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: 'We understand the distress that releases in error can cause to victims and their families and are working with the police to recapture this individual.'
The spokesman added that the Government is investing up to £82m to digitise outdated paper-based systems and strengthen checks across the courts to reduce such mistakes. A Met Police spokesperson confirmed that urgent inquiries are being carried out to locate Adeyeye and return him to custody.
