06.11.2025 21:46
It has been revealed that Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, who was convicted of sexual assault in England, and William Smith, who is accused of fraud, were mistakenly released on October 29 and November 5. The police have launched a search for the two inmates, and it has come to light that 262 inmates were mistakenly released within a year.
It has been determined that Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, who was convicted of sexual assault in England, and William Smith, who was accused of fraud, were mistakenly released. Investigations revealed that 262 inmates were incorrectly released in the past year.
2 INMATES WERE MISTAKENLY RELEASED
Errors in the prison systems in England led to the mistaken release of inmates. An immigrant accused of sexual assault, Hadush Kebatu, was mistakenly released on October 24 and was re-arrested in London on October 26. Kebatu was also deported on October 28. One day after Hadush's deportation, on October 29, Algerian Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, who was convicted of the same crime, and William Smith, who was accused of fraud, were mistakenly released on November 3. British police have launched a search for the two inmates.
STRICT MONITORING IMPLEMENTED IN PRISONS
In a statement regarding the issue in the UK Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy said that an investigation has been initiated under the leadership of former Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Lynne Owens following Kebatu's release. Lammy stated, "After the incident, I have implemented the strictest monitoring we have ever applied in the prison system. It is important for Lynne Owens to conduct her work thoroughly. I think we will need more checks and balances. The system we inherited was a complex one established by the previous administration that allowed people to exit secretly. We are trying to fix this."
EMERGENCY MEETING WITH PRISON OFFICIALS
In a statement regarding the issue, Alex Davies-Jones, the minister responsible for victims of violence against women and girls in England, said, "This is completely unacceptable, and I share the anger and frustration," indicating that this points to a broader issue in the justice system. Minister Davies-Jones noted that the government is utilizing technology experts to improve the system. She stated that the government held an "emergency meeting" with prison officials today and is "trying to understand exactly what is happening on the ground."
"THIS IS AN ADMINISTRATIVE FAILURE OF THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE"
Robert Jenrick, the Shadow Justice Secretary of the Conservative Party, described the situation as "a complete and utter shambles" in a statement this morning. Speaking to the British media, Jenrick said, "Mistaken releases are unacceptable. It took the prison service 6 days to realize this incident and inform the police. The police are now a week behind in the ongoing manhunt. This is an administrative failure of the Ministry of Justice."
"AN AVERAGE OF 22 INMATES ARE MISTAKENLY RELEASED PER MONTH"
Mark Fairhurst, the national president of the Prison Officers Association, addressed the complexity of the justice system in a statement to the British media. Fairhurst said, "An average of 22 inmates are mistakenly released per month. This issue has only just come to light. We are currently witnessing a complete collapse of the entire criminal justice system. This is not just about prisons; probation, courts, and police are in the same situation. We are calling for a royal inquiry to find out what went wrong and, more importantly, to fix it."
According to data published by the UK government in July, 262 inmates were mistakenly released in England and Wales in the 12 months leading up to March of this year. According to the annual report of the prison service, this number represents a 128% increase compared to 115 cases in the year ending March 2024. Of the 262 individuals mistakenly released, 233 were from prisons, and 29 were mistakenly released by courts.
Former Chief Inspector of Prisons for England, Nick Hardwick, stated that mistaken releases have been "a long-standing issue," but the recent increase appears to be linked to the implementation of early release plans. Hardwick noted that approximately 40,000 inmates in England and Wales were released before completing their sentences under the "emergency early release program" initiated by the government last September to reduce overcrowding in prisons. Nick Hardwick said, "This situation has led to confusion in the units that calculate how long inmates should actually serve in prison." He emphasized that the key issue here is the experience of the staff, noting that calculating release dates is "complex."