Justice Secretary David Lammy defended his decision to withhold information about a mistaken prisoner release from Parliament, stating he lacked complete details when questioned. The admission comes as police continue searching for a sex offender wrongly freed from HMP Wandsworth, while a second prisoner who was also mistakenly released has surrendered himself.
Lammy faced repeated questioning at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday about asylum seeker releases, but did not disclose that Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, a 24-year-old Algerian registered sex offender, had been freed in error on October 29. The Justice Secretary said he first learned of the release Wednesday morning while preparing for the parliamentary session.
«I took the judgment that it is important when updating the House and the country about serious matters like this that you have all of the detail,» Lammy told reporters Thursday. «I was not equipped with all of the detail and the danger is that you end up misleading the house and the general public. So, that is the judgment I took, and I think it's the right judgment.»
Manhunt continues
The Metropolitan Police launched a manhunt for Kaddour-Cherif after being informed of the error on November 4, nearly a week after his release. Police said on social media: «We are actively searching for Brahim Kaddour-Cherif who was released in error from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday 29 October. He is believed to be in London and has links to Tower Hamlets and Westminster. If you see him, please call 999 immediately.»
William Smith, 35, who was mistakenly released from the same prison on November 3 due to a court error, handed himself in on Thursday morning. Kaddour-Cherif remains at large.
Rising release errors
The incidents highlight a sharp increase in erroneous prisoner releases. Official figures show 262 prisoners were freed in error in the year to March 2025, up from 115 the previous year - a 128 percent increase.
Lammy acknowledged the scale of the problem. «But the truth is, I've been in post two months. The rate of release by error is too high. It has to come down. That's why I've asked Dame Lynne Owens to look at this,» he said.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch criticized Lammy's performance, describing «an explosion in accidental prisoner releases» and calling his parliamentary session «embarrassing.»
System under pressure
Justice Minister Alex Davies-Jones told media that crisis talks with prison chiefs are underway, with digital experts deployed to modernize what she called an "archaic" paper-based release system. The Prison Governors Association described releases in error as «neither rare nor hidden» and «deeply concerning,» but warned that conditions to reduce such errors to zero «simply do not exist.»
The association also said it «feels disingenuous to see politicians attempt to extract political gain from a prison system in crisis.»
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
