Justice Secretary David Lammy has disclosed that a further 12 prisoners were mistakenly released in England and Wales in the past month, bringing the total number of accidental releases since April to 103. Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Lammy stated that despite the latest figures, the “trend is downwards” following improvements to the system.
Lammy reported to the House of Commons in mid-November that 91 prisoners had been released in error between 1 April and 31 October. He confirmed on Tuesday that an additional 12 had been let out since then, with two still at large. He emphasised that neither of the two fugitives were violent or sexual offenders, but declined to provide further details, citing operational police matters.
The revelation comes after high-profile cases earlier this year, including Algerian sex offender Brahim Kaddour-Cherif and fraudster Billy Smith, who were incorrectly freed from HMP Wandsworth. Smith later surrendered, while Kaddour-Cherif was recaptured after a week. In another case, Ethiopian national Hadush Kebatu was mistakenly released from HMP Chelmsford despite his conviction for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman.
Lammy confirmed that the error leading to Kaddour-Cherif’s release occurred in September, before tougher security checks were introduced. He faced criticism for initially refusing to confirm whether more asylum seekers had been released in error. The Ministry of Justice previously stated that 262 prisoners were freed in error in the year to March 2025 out of 57,000 releases, a 128% rise on the previous year.
