Clerical error may be behind the missing sex offenders

More details have emerged of the circumstances surrounding the release of wrongly convicted Kaddour-pertif who remains a missing prisoner.

He was one of two men who were separately mistakenly released from prison in WandSport last week. William (Billy) Smith since committed himself to.

The BBC established Kaddour-Cherif was released on 29 October, after being found not guilty of the sex registry requirements and should have remained in custody.

Representatives of prison officials said the clerical error meant there was no warrant from the court to hold him – and he was released.

This release comes after a series of prosecutions and court appearances by him dating for two years.

These cases come about three years after the Algerian national was flagged in February 2020 as a possible visa overstayer, having entered the UK on a visitor visa in 2019.

It is unclear what, if any, steps were taken five years ago to remove him from the country.

We know from government statements that the 24-year-old was in the first stages of deportation at the time of his release.

Notable criminal charges could be grounds for any proposed removal from the UK suffered at home.

The releases of Kaddour-Cherif and William Smith come just weeks after sex migrant Hasush Kebatu, who arrived in the UK on a small boat, was mistakenly released from a small boat, mistakenly released from a small boat, mistakenly released from a small boat, mistakenly released from a small boat, mistakenly released from a small boat, mistakenly released from a small boat mistakenly released from a small boat mistakenly released from a small boat mistakenly released from a small boat mistakenly released from a small boat mistakenly released from a small boat mistakenly released from a small boat mistakenly released from a small boat boat, mistakenly released from a small boat, mistakenly at HMP CHELMSFORD in Essex.

Court records reveal that the 24-year-old has been charged with 11 offenses since September 2023 – his conviction and sentence for indecent exposure, which was committed in one of them.

Another offense he admitted to was assaulting a police officer. He pleaded guilty to that offense and possession of cocaine, both committed in March 2024, at a hearing in February this year.

He shared a lesser charge of assaulting a public figure, received a conditional discharge plus an order to pay the victim £100 in compensation.

In July 2024, Kaddour-Cherif pleaded guilty to aggravated assault.

His sentencing is for one time – and in October 2024 Westminster magistrate ‘Korihim changed him in custody related to that matter.

He was committed to Wormwood Scrubs Prison in West London and then received an 18-month community order and was placed on the sex offender’s register for five years. That registry requires an offender to be reported there to the police.

By June 2025, Kaddour’s records showed Cherif was inside the Colnbrook Immigration Removal Center, near Heathrow Airport.

Which suggests there is a plan to remove him from the UK.

But in late July he left that institution. We know this because he was arrested in September by meeting the police on suspicion of launching sex offenders – the allegation that he failed to inform the officers that he had left the customer.

After the arrest, he was taken prisoner to Sand Wandshorth, from where he was soon released.

The metropolitan police said it was not aware of his release until 4 November.

That came after he was found not guilty of allegedly violating sex registry requirements. Kaddour-Cherif denied the charge and the City of London Court challenged the case against him.

But Marcos Fairhurst, from the prison officers’ association, told BBC News that he believed there was a clerical error in the court.

He said the governors did not know, after that release, that Kaddour-Cherif had additional court dates on other matters.

“It’s my understanding that there was a mix-up of warrants,” he said.

“So when the man came back from court, we didn’t really have the authority to hold him in custody, because we didn’t have an additional warrant outlining the additional charges.

“So somewhere, there is a wrong cleric.”