A father who was accidentally released from prison early reportedly spent three days wandering around London before prison authorities reported him missing to the police. Ifedapo Adeyeye, 58, who was serving time for kidnapping his five-year-old son, may have fled the United Kingdom after being mistakenly freed by prison staff.
Details of the Accidental Release
Adeyeye walked out of HMP Pentonville in north London on April 21, despite having been sentenced to an additional 12 months in prison just one day earlier. The High Court later heard that he then spent time strolling around London, enjoyed a pub dinner with considerable amounts of alcohol, and transferred thousands of pounds from his bank account before authorities were finally notified. By that time, police believe the dual British-Nigerian national may have already traveled to Spain.
Judge Criticizes Delayed Response
Mr. Justice Hayden strongly criticized the delay in alerting law enforcement, stating: 'If the police had been contacted immediately, this could perhaps, almost certainly perhaps, have been prevented. The public is entitled to expect far better than this.'
Adeyeye had previously been found guilty of abducting his son, Laurys N’Djosse Adeyeye, from France in July 2024. The boy had stayed overnight with his father for the first time before being taken via the United Kingdom to Nigeria. The child’s mother, Claire N’Djosse, has not seen her son since the abduction.
Legal Background
In a landmark legal decision last year, Mr. Justice Hayden ruled that the High Court could order Adeyeye to return Laurys to France, even though the child did not reside in the UK. When Adeyeye ignored the order, he was jailed for contempt of court in January. He was due for release in April, but on April 20 he received another 12-month sentence for failing to return his son. Despite this, prison staff released him the very next day because they had not been notified of the new sentence.
Judge's Strong Words
The judge described the child abduction as 'an act of cruelty that even this court rarely sees' and labeled Adeyeye as 'arrogant and manipulative' as well as 'cold and calculated.' Police informed the court that they were pursuing 'all reasonable lines of enquiry' after receiving reports that Adeyeye entered Spain on April 22.
The Metropolitan Police stated: 'We recognise both the seriousness of this matter and how traumatic the present situation must be for both Ms N’Djosse and her son.' The force noted that prison officials blamed a 'communication failure' with the court for the blunder, a claim the judge dismissed as 'entirely groundless.'
Impact on the Victim's Family
Chris Bryden, representing Ms N’Djosse, argued that the state had failed the mother twice: first by releasing Adeyeye and again by not immediately informing the police. This case comes amid broader concerns about wrongful releases from UK prisons.
Broader Context of Wrongful Releases
Data published by the Ministry of Justice last month revealed that 179 inmates were wrongly released between April 2025 and March 2026. The issue gained significant attention after the mistaken release of Hadush Kebatu, who was jailed for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in Epping, Essex, prompting a series of protests last year.
The Ministry of Justice has previously stated that it is investing up to £82 million to reduce accidental releases, adding: 'We inherited a prison system in crisis after years of underinvestment, which has resulted in unacceptable rises in release errors.'
