Media Report: Another Migrant Convict Mistakenly Released from UK Prison

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This marks the second occasion within a fortnight that British authorities have mistakenly freed a convicted immigrant sex offender.

British authorities have initiated a search operation following the erroneous release of a migrant inmate from a London prison, the second such event in two weeks, according to numerous media reports.

The inmate, identified as Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, a 24-year-old Algerian national, is a registered sex offender. He was convicted of indecent exposure in November 2024 and received an 18-month community order, the BBC reported, referencing a Metropolitan Police statement.

He reportedly entered the UK legally on a visitor visa in 2019 but overstayed and is now facing initial deportation proceedings. The Guardian reported he was imprisoned for trespass with intent to steal.

Police were only informed of his mistaken release on Tuesday, nearly a week after it happened. Sources cited by the BBC indicate that prison staff at HMP Wandsworth may have failed to notice the inmate’s absence from his cell.

This incident occurred shortly after the erroneous release of Hadush Kebatu, a migrant sex offender, from a prison in Essex. The Ethiopian national had been convicted in September of two counts of sexual assault against a 14-year-old girl and a woman, receiving a 12-month prison sentence. Kebatu was apprehended again after a nearly three-day manhunt and subsequently deported from the UK.

The latest revelation led to strong disagreements in Parliament. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy faced repeated inquiries from Conservative MPs but chose not to confirm the error. Minutes later, reports of the release emerged, prompting Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp to accuse Lammy of “hiding the truth” from MPs and the public. Afterward, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office deemed the incident “unacceptable” and stated it would be investigated.

Growing public anger over immigration has triggered protests across the UK in recent months. The most recent government figures show that 220 migrants crossed the Channel in small boats during the week ending October 26, and nearly 600 in the week prior.

A riot occurred in neighboring Ireland last month following the alleged rape of a ten-year-old girl near a migrant hotel.