Justice Secretary David Lammy is facing mounting pressure after two more prisoners, including a convicted Algerian sex offender, were mistakenly released from Wandsworth prison. The errors occurred just days after Lammy introduced new checks for jails following a similar incident.
Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, 24, who had overstayed his visa and was convicted of indecent exposure, was wrongly freed on 29 October. The Metropolitan Police was only informed on 4 November, giving him a six-day head start. He has links to Tower Hamlets and Westminster areas.
The same prison also released fraudster William Smith, 35, on the day he was sentenced to 45 months for multiple fraud offences. Surrey Police have issued an appeal to locate him. The Prison Service is investigating whether warrants were lost, leading to the mistaken releases.
These incidents follow the accidental release of Ethiopian national Hadush Kebatu from Chelmsford prison, who had convictions for sexual assault. Lammy had ordered five pages of new checks after that case. Downing Street described the latest case as concerning and said it would be included in a review led by Lynne Owens.
Labour MP Rosena Allin-Khan, whose constituency includes Wandsworth prison, said she was horrified and demanded answers. In PMQs, Lammy faced repeated questions from the Conservative frontbencher James Cartlidge, but later the Ministry of Justice said Lammy had not been accurately informed of key details.
