HMP Wandsworth admits another release error - as police now search for two escapees

Just hours after Sky News revealed a prisoner was on the run after being mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth, the prison admits they have a second escapee.

HMP Wandsworth in south London admitted a foreign prisoner was accidentally released on 29 October - just five days after the high-profile release of migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu from HMP Chelmsford in Essex.

But later on Wednesday, Surrey Police announced it was now also searching for 35-year-old William Smith, who had apparently been released on Monday, in a second error by staff at the jail.

Both mistakes follow vows by Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy that enhanced checks on prisoner releases would be introduced.

Manhunt latest: Foreign prisoner on the loose

The Metropolitan Police confirmed to Sky News that shortly after 1pm on Tuesday 4 November, the Prison Service confirmed Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, a 24-year-old Algerian man, had been released in error from HMP Wandsworth on 29 October.

The Met said officers were "carrying out urgent enquiries in an effort to locate him and return him to custody."

Sky News understands he is a registered sex offender who was serving time for trespass with an intent to steal.

It is understood he is not an asylum seeker.

Meanwhile, William Smith, who was released on Monday, and goes by the name Billy, was sentenced to 45 months for multpiple fraud offences.

'Utterly unacceptable'

It is not yet clear why it was nearly a week between the first release at Wandsworth and the police being informed that an offender was at large.

Sir Keir Starmer was not aware of the incident until the Met Police announcement, Downing Street said.

The prime minister's spokesman told reporters: "The Met have released a statement I think in the last few minutes."

He said "one mistaken release is one too many" and the case was "utterly unacceptable".

"It's important the police are given the time and space to bring him back into custody. And we will look into the circumstances behind this as a matter of urgency," he added.

The PM's spokesman could not say when Mr Lammy became aware of the initial error, after the cabinet minister refused to answer several questions about it, in the House of Commons, from the shadow defence secretary.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch wrote on X: "James Cartlidge asked the Deputy PM FIVE times to tell us if ANOTHER migrant sex offender had been accidentally released from prison.

"Instead of answering, Lammy lost his temper.

"Now we read it HAS happened again & he's been on the run for a week.

"This is a shambles of a government."

Lammy 'outraged and appalled'

Sky News understands Mr Lammy did know about the first prisoner release before he stood up in the Commons and was pressed on the issue by the Conservatives.

"If we knew, one can only assume the justice secretary knew," a spokesman for Ms Badenoch said, adding Mr Lammy should come back to the chamber "and do a statement as soon as possible".

Mr Lammy said afterwards he was "absolutely outraged and appalled by the mistaken release of a foreign criminal wanted by the police", adding his "officials have been working through the night to take him back to prison".

"Victims deserve better and the public deserve answers," he said.

It is understood Mr Lammy believed it would have been irresponsible to talk about the case - involving several agencies - while details were still emerging.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage posted on social media (before the announcement of the second erroneous release): "Another dangerous criminal is on the loose thanks to Labour. What a total farce."

The number of these types of errors has risen recently, with 262 instances between March 2024 and March 2025 - a 128% increase on 115 in the previous 12 months.

The Conservatives described the Kebatu episode as a "national embarrassment" - and Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector of prisons, said mistakes were happening "all the time" and are symptomatic of the chaos within the system.

Read more: How many prisoners are released by mistake?

In the aftermath of the Kebatu manhunt, Mr Lammy promised "the strongest release checks that have ever been in place".

He also ordered an independent investigation into the Kebatu release, which is being led by former deputy commissioner of the Met Police Dame Lynne Owens.

"This latest incident exposes deeper flaws across the failing criminal justice system we inherited," Mr Lammy added in his statement on Wednesday on the HMP Wandsworth error.

"Dame Lynne Owens' investigation will leave no stone unturned to identify these issues, so we can fix them, improve safeguards and ensure the public is properly protected."

'Dangerous situation'

The Liberal Democrats' justice spokesperson Jess Brown-Fuller said again, before the second Wandsworth incident: "Just when you couldn't think things could get any worse for the Ministry of Justice, somehow they have. It would be laughable if the situation weren't so dangerous.

"This is yet another grave mistake from the government. The public deserves a full explanation about how this has happened again. That should start with David Lammy coming back before parliament this afternoon for why he failed to answer this pressing question in PMQs as well as a full explanation of how it took almost a week for this to come to light.

"It's utterly unacceptable that public safety has been put at risk yet again. Both the government and the prison service must own up to their failures and guarantee that these mistakes will stop happening once and for all."

(c) Sky News 2025: HMP Wandsworth admits another release error - as police now search for two escapees