British authorities have mistakenly released another convicted migrant sex offender from a London prison, marking the second such error in two weeks.
The 24-year-old Algerian national, Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, was a registered sex offender who was convicted in November 2024 of indecent exposure and sentenced to an 18-month community order. He entered the UK legally on a visitor visa in 2019 but overstayed and is now in the early stages of deportation proceedings. His mistaken release was discovered nearly a week later, with prison staff at HMP Wandsworth possibly failing to notice his absence. This incident follows the release of another migrant sex offender, Hadush Kebatu, from a prison in Essex.
Kebatu was convicted on two counts of sexual assault against a 14-year-old girl and a woman and sentenced to 12 months in prison in September. He was detained again after a three-day manhunt and subsequently deported from the UK. The latest revelation sparked sharp exchanges in Parliament. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy faced repeated questions from Conservative MPs but declined 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. Afterwards, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office called the incident “unacceptable” and said it would be investigated.
Mounting anger over immigration has fuelled protests across the UK in recent months. The latest government data show that 220 migrants crossed the Channel in small boats during the week ending October 26, and nearly 600 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.