A convicted sex offender who was mistakenly released from Wandsworth prison has been rearrested after a week on the run. Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, 24, from Algeria, was taken into custody in Finsbury Park, north London, on Friday following a tip-off from a member of the public.
The erroneous release occurred on 29 October, but the Metropolitan Police were not informed until 4 November, prompting criticism of a six-day delay. Kaddour-Cherif had been serving a sentence for trespass with intent to steal and was also on the sex offender register after being convicted of indecent exposure in November 2024.
Police officers arrested him after he initially denied his identity, but the arresting officer noted his 'very distinctive wonky nose'. Kaddour-Cherif was filmed saying: 'Look at the justice of the UK, they release people by mistake... it's not my fucking fault.'
The incident has intensified political pressure on Justice Secretary David Lammy, who said: 'We inherited a prison system in crisis and I'm appalled at the rate of releases in error this is causing.' The Conservatives called for his deportation, with Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp labelling Lammy 'Calamity Lammy'.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson stated: 'The vast majority of offenders released by mistake are quickly brought back to prison... These cases only further expose the scale of the crisis in our prisons we inherited.'
