What we know about the inmates of Wandsworth prison was wrongly released

The manhunt continues after two men were wrongly released from prison at WandSport in London last week.

The first, which was released on Wednesday, is Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, a 24-year-old Algerian man and a provocative sex.

The second was William Smith, who was imprisoned for forgery on Monday, the same day he was released by mistake.

This comes after the accidental release of Hadush Kebatu, a migrant sex offender, last month for what described as “Human Error” at HMP Chelmsford.

Here’s what we know.

Brahim Kaddour-Cherif was released in error “seven days ago on Wednesday 29 October, the metropolitan police said.

The force said it was not told about the fault at HMP Wand Wandsworth until Tuesday 4 November.

“Officers are carrying out urgent inquiries in an effort to locate him and bring him back into custody,” a police spokesman said.

After Monday, Surrey police appealed for help to 35-year-old William Smith, who was wrongly released from the 45 months he was sentenced for several crimes.

Brahim Kaddour-Cherif is a 24-year-old Algerian man and is not an asylum seeker.

The MET confirmed he was a registered sex offender and was convicted of indecent exposure in November 2024 in relation to an incident in March.

He was sentenced to an 18-month community order and placed on the sex offenders’ register for five years.

He is believed to have links to the Hamlet Hamlets and is also known to frequent the Westminster Area, police said.

Kaddour-Cherif is understood to have entered the UK legally on a visitor’s visa but has now overstayed it and is in the first stages of deportation proceedings.

William Smith, who goes by Billy, was released on Monday, Surrey police said.

He was sentenced to 45 months for a number of fraud offenses at Croydon Crown Court on Monday, where he appeared via a live video link from HMP Wandisorth.

Smith was described by police as a white, pale, clean-cut scavenger.

He was last seen wearing a Nike Brand wareve jumper ‘the’ the ‘Navy Blue Tracksuit with bottom left pocket, and black trainers.

Smith has links to Woking but could be anywhere in Surrey, the force said.

We know very little at this stage as to why or how they were mistakenly released.

We also do not know why the police were not told about the mistake in the release of Kaddour-cherif for almost a week.

Multiple prison sources say the release process is complicated and bureaucratic, and sometimes mistakes are made, including calculations of hours served.

During Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQ) Secretary Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, with additional offenders Justice James Secretary Jebes Adanus Hasutus Hasatu last month.

Lammy often refused to answer the question directly but at the end of the session it emerged that a prisoner had been wrongly released. It points to Kaddour-Cherif.

The BBC’s political editor Chris Mason said he was told Lammy was aware of the incident going to PMQS, but not if the man was an asylum seeker.

29 October: Brahim Kaddour-Cherif was wrongly released from HMP Wand Wandsworth

3 November: William Smith was sentenced to 45 months in prison. Later that day he was wrongly discharged from HMP Wand Wandsworth

13:00 on 4 November: Six days later, the prison service informed the Metropolitan police that the prisoners had been released by mistake on 29 October.

Night of 5 November: Justice Secretary David Lammy was informed about the accidental release

Around 11:45 on 5 November: Conservatives reportedly know that one wrongly released prisoner is too many

12:00 on 5 November: Lammy always refused to answer when asked by Shad Shad Shanthor Secretary James Cartlidge even if an asylum case of an expiring sex offer who had offended the moon

12:43 on 5 November: Cartlgidge tells House of Commons a second jailed Asylum Seeker was wrongfully released – Lammy refuses to answer

13:41 on 5 November: Lammy released a statement saying he was “angry and scared of the foreign criminals wanted by the police” and promised an “urgent manhunt” was underway.

16:43 on 5 November: Metropolitan police opt for Kaddour-Cherif and say “PRIVENT” INQUIRY continues

While he did not comment directly on the PMQS case after Justice Secretary David Lammy said he was “absolutely outraged” and that his officers “worked the night that” worked the night that “worked the night that had to be done [Kaddour-Cherif] Back to Jail”.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said he was “shocked that once again the Labor government has made the mistake of allowing a foreign criminal to be released from prison”.

He added that Lammy’s PMQS appearance was “nothing short of embarrassing” and accused him of being “dishonest” with the public and parliament.

Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesman said the latest mistake was “unacceptable” and would be investigated.

The Liberal Democrats’ Justice spokesperson Jess Brown called for Lammy to return to the house of commons to explain “what he failed to exploit at PMQs.

Reform UK Leader Nigel Faage called the incident a “Farce”.

Rosensa Allin-Khan, the Labor MP for Tooting – where the prison is located – said: “We need to get answers from justice about how this was allowed to happen”

WandSHOHS prison is a Victorian-era facility in South London.

Built in 1851, the complex was originally built to house fewer than 1,000 prisoners.

An August 2024 report by the independent prison monitoring board found inmate numbers at the “dilapidated, squalid” prison, which had grown to 1,513.

“The wings were chaotic and staff in most units could not confirm the whereabouts of all prisoners during Labor Day,” the report said.

The board added that it was unable to perform prison checks because the staff could not provide accurate numbers and that a third officer in operation on any given day due to illness, restricted duties or training.

In April, HM Inspectorate of Prisons found the population had been reduced to 150, and other “limited and fragile” improvements had been made.

In 2023 the prison is in the headlines former British soldier Daniel Khaife escaped by clinging to the bottom of a truck.