By Sima Kotecha, Senior UK Correspondent
Two prisoners continue to evade capture after being erroneously released last year, with reports indicating another two set free by mistake in June 2025 are still missing. These incidents form part of a larger issue plaguing the government, as ministers face increasing scrutiny over several high-profile mistaken releases.
Recently, two men who were incorrectly released from HMP Wandsworth have been brought back into custody following intensive police investigations. Algerian sex offender Brahim Kaddour-Cherif was arrested on Friday, while William Smith voluntarily returned to the south London prison on Thursday. In a separate case, Hadush Kebatu, originally from a small boat crossing and jailed for sexual assaults while staying in an asylum hotel, was wrongly freed from HMP Chelmsford in Essex. He was later recaptured and deported.
The number of prisoners accidentally released in England and Wales rose to 262 in the year to March, up from 115 the previous year. A Ministry of Justice (MoJ) spokesperson commented that while the 'vast majority' of offenders are quickly returned to prison, efforts continue alongside police operations to apprehend those still missing.
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick criticized the government's handling, highlighting the need for accountability and transparency in reporting these incidents, adding that it “shouldn’t be left to reporters to uncover the facts.” Meanwhile, Liberal Democrats spokeswoman Jess Brown-Fuller urged that “every resource” must be directed towards finding the missing prisoners, calling the situation “a disgrace and an omnishambles.”