Prisoner on the Run After Wedding Release
A manhunt is underway for a Palestine Action protester who absconded after being temporarily freed from HMP Wandsworth to attend his brother's wedding. Police are searching for Sean Middlebrough, 32, who was being held on remand at the south London prison and failed to return after being granted bail by a judge for the family occasion.
Background of the Case and Security Concerns
Middlebrough was charged in connection with an alleged plot where activists planned to disrupt the London Stock Exchange by chaining themselves to the building. The incident marks another significant challenge for the justice system, coming amidst a series of high-profile prison release errors. Palestine Action, the group with which he is associated, was formally proscribed as a terrorist organisation earlier this year.
A government spokesperson emphasised that "court decisions are made by judges - independently of government" and issued a stark warning, stating "Absconding is a serious criminal offence, and any defendant who commits this crime could face longer behind bars."
Growing Pattern of Prison Release Errors
This failure to return to HMP Wandsworth represents the latest in a string of embarrassing episodes for the justice system. The incident follows three high-profile mistaken prison releases in the past two weeks alone.
Official statistics reveal the scale of the problem, with 262 instances of such errors occurring between March 2024 and March 2025. This figure represents a dramatic 128% increase compared to the 115 instances recorded in the previous 12 months.
Other recent cases include:
- Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, a 24-year-old Algerian sex offender, was released in error from HMP Wandsworth on 29 October
- Hadush Kebatu, a migrant sex offender, was wrongly released from HMP Chelmsford just five days earlier
- William Smith, 35, a fraudster mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth on 3 November who later turned himself in
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy acknowledged the seriousness of the situation, telling Sky News that the government is "gripping" the prisons crisis and describing the rise in erroneous releases as "unacceptable". She confirmed that Justice Secretary David Lammy has made a senior appointment specifically to address these systemic failures.
