Fugitive Algerian inmate wrongly released from Wandsworth prison sparks manhunt

Police launch urgent manhunt after Algerian sex offender mistakenly freed from Wandsworth prison sparks fury

Police have launched an urgent manhunt after an Algerian sex offender was mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth, one of the UK’s most scandal-hit prisons.

The fugitive has been identified as Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, 24, who was freed in error on October 29, but police were only informed a week later, on November 4, sparking outrage and concern over public safety.

Kaddour-Cherif, previously convicted of indecent exposure and trespass with intent to steal, was serving time in the south London prison before his accidental release. Authorities revealed he was last linked to an address in east London and remains at large.

The blunder has prompted Labour MP Rosena Allin-Khan to demand immediate answers from Justice Secretary David Lammy, warning that her Tooting constituents are “deeply concerned” by the repeated prison errors. The incident follows another high-profile mistake involving Ethiopian migrant Hadush Kebatu, a convicted sex attacker wrongly freed from HMP Chelmsford just days earlier.

Mr. Lammy has called the situation “outrageous and appalling,” blaming systemic failures inherited from the previous government. He has ordered an independent investigation led by Dame Lynne Owens to determine how repeated release errors continue to occur, despite “the strongest checks ever” recently introduced.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed ongoing efforts to locate Kaddour-Cherif, while opposition MPs accused the Justice Secretary of withholding information during Parliament’s question session. The Ministry of Justice now faces mounting pressure to tighten release procedures and restore public confidence in the UK prison system, as the number of prisoners released in error has more than doubled over the past year.