Prime Minister's Anger Over Prison System Failures
Sir Keir Starmer has declared the mistaken release of two prisoners from HMP Wandsworth as 'intolerable', stating he is 'angry and frustrated' about the errors that have shaken public confidence in the justice system. Speaking for the first time since the fiasco emerged, the Prime Minister addressed the serious blunders while defending his Justice Secretary, David Lammy.
Timeline of the Release Errors
The Metropolitan Police announced on Wednesday that registered sex offender Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, an Algerian national, had been erroneously released from HMP Wandsworth on 29 October. He remains at large. Hours later, it was revealed that a second prisoner, 35-year-old William 'Billy' Smith, was wrongly freed on Monday, the same day he was convicted for multiple fraud offences and handed a 45-month jail term. Smith has since handed himself in to authorities.
This incident follows the mistaken release of Ethiopian sex offender Hadush Kebatu just a week prior, who has since been deported. In response to the Kebatu case, Mr Lammy declared on 27 October that stronger prison checks would be implemented immediately. However, it was revealed that these enhanced checks were not in place when Kaddour-Cherif was released two days later.
Political Fallout and Defence
The timeline confusion has sparked a fierce political row, with the Conservatives accusing Mr Lammy of having 'no clue' about his own department. The Justice Secretary faced further criticism for not revealing his knowledge of Kaddour-Cherif's release during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, where he was standing in for Sir Keir, who is attending the COP summit in Brazil.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch repeatedly asked Mr Lammy whether any more asylum seekers had been wrongly released since Kebatu, but he refused to answer. The news broke at the end of the session. Mr Lammy later defended his decision, stating he did not have all the details that morning and did not want to mislead the public or the House.
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick launched a scathing attack, claiming: 'David Lammy has either lied or has absolutely no clue what's going on in his department.'
When questioned about the apparent contradictions in Mr Lammy's statements, Sir Keir Starmer came to his defence, stating: 'David Lammy can speak for himself on that. I'm absolutely clear that he's setting out the facts, to the best of his knowledge and that's the right thing for him to do.'
Government sources have indicated that the procedural mistakes leading to Kaddour-Cherif's release occurred at the end of September, before the new checking regime was established.
Ministry of Justice Response
In response to the crisis, the Ministry of Justice announced on Thursday night the rollout of 'cutting-edge technology to more prisons' aimed at reducing human error and modernising what it described as 'archaic processes that have led to mistakes'. A spokesperson stated these measures would build on the tough new checks introduced last month and ensure governor oversight of all releases.
Kaddour-Cherif was serving a sentence for trespass with intent to steal but had a previous conviction for indecent exposure. It is understood he is not an asylum seeker but is in the process of being deported after overstaying his visa.
