A manhunt ensued following the accidental release of Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, a convicted sex offender, from HMP Wandsworth. Kaddour-Cherif, an Algerian national who overstayed his visa in the UK, was convicted in 2024 for indecent exposure in a London park, making him a registered sex offender.
Recently, Kaddour-Cherif confessed to breaking into a garage in Walthamstow to steal bicycles and to carrying a knife in Earlswood. The incidents occurred on January 6, 2024, and November 13, 2023, respectively. Judge Simon Heptonstall remanded him into custody, with sentencing scheduled for January 27.
Additionally, Kaddour-Cherif faces sentencing for missing a court hearing in September 2023 while on bail. His accidental release from prison, similar to another case involving Hadush Kebatu, has raised concerns. Official data reported a 128% increase in erroneous prisoner releases from the previous year, totaling 262 cases in the year leading to March 2025.
Living in Whitechapel, Kaddour-Cherif initially denied the charges but was detained last year for trial. His release blunder on October 29 was discovered on November 4 when authorities found he was missing. Subsequently, he was apprehended in Finsbury Park after a tip-off.
His prior conviction resulted in an 18-month community order and a five-year registration as a sex offender. Efforts to deport him were briefly successful when he was held at an immigration center in June last year, only to be released on immigration bail shortly after.