A convicted sex offender who was accidentally released from Wandsworth prison a week ago has been rearrested in north London. Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, 24, from Algeria, was taken into custody in Finsbury Park on Friday after a member of the public alerted police.
The erroneous release has put pressure on Justice Secretary David Lammy, who faced questions in the House of Commons. Lammy confirmed the recapture, thanking police and prison staff. He said the government inherited a prison system in crisis and was appalled at the rate of mistaken releases.
Kaddour-Cherif was released on 29 October but was not reported missing to the Metropolitan Police until 4 November, giving him a six-day head start. The Met expressed frustration over the delay. A homeless man who recognised Kaddour-Cherif from a newspaper photograph called police.
During the arrest, which was captured by a Sky News camera crew, Kaddour-Cherif initially denied his identity. An arresting officer noted his "very distinctive wonky nose" and showed an image to confirm. Kaddour-Cherif then said, "Look at the justice of the UK, they release people by mistake... it's not my fucking fault."
Kaddour-Cherif entered the UK on a visitor visa in 2019 and was flagged as an overstayer in February 2020. He was serving a sentence for trespass with intent to steal and was convicted for indecent exposure in November 2024, receiving an 18-month community order and placement on the sex offender register for five years. He had not applied for asylum and was in the early stages of deportation.
The Conservatives called for his deportation after his sentence. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticised the government, saying the case sums up a collapse in law and order. The Ministry of Justice stated that most mistakenly released offenders are quickly recaptured and that they are working to reduce errors.
