A convicted sex offender who was mistakenly released from a south London prison has been apprehended after nearly a week on the run, the Metropolitan Police has confirmed.
The mistaken release and subsequent manhunt
Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, a 24-year-old Algerian national, was accidentally freed from Wandsworth prison on 29 October. However, authorities only reported the error to police on 4 November, giving the offender what the Met described as a "six-day head start".
The Metropolitan Police launched an urgent manhunt for Kaddour-Cherif, who has convictions for both theft and indecent exposure. He was eventually arrested in the Islington area on Friday, bringing the week-long search to an end.
Criminal history and immigration status
At the time of his mistaken release, Kaddour-Cherif had been serving a sentence for trespass with intent to steal. His criminal record includes a conviction for indecent exposure in November 2024, for which he received an 18-month community order and was placed on the sex offender register for five years.
According to official sources, Kaddour-Cherif entered the UK on a visitor visa in 2019 but was flagged as having overstayed on 6 February 2020. He was identified as an overstayer five years ago but had not been removed from the country. The offender had not applied for asylum and was in the initial stages of being deported for overstaying his visa when the prison error occurred.
Police concerns and public safety
Police expressed significant concern about the delay in reporting Kaddour-Cherif's mistaken release, which allowed him nearly a week of freedom before authorities were alerted. The Metropolitan Police noted that the offender uses variations of his first name, including Ibrahim, and has known links to the Westminster and Tower Hamlets areas of London.
This incident raises serious questions about prisoner management and inter-agency communication within the UK's criminal justice system, particularly regarding foreign national offenders who have overstayed their visas.
