Errors in Prisoner Releases Prompt Calls for Stronger Checks
Justice Secretary David Lammy announced plans to introduce stronger release checks after migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu was mistakenly released from prison. Kebatu, who arrived in the UK on a small boat, was jailed for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman while living in an asylum hotel in Essex and was deported following the error.
Two additional prisoners were subsequently reported to have been released in error, highlighting ongoing failures in the prison release process. Government figures reveal 262 prisoners were released in error in the year to March, marking a 128% increase from 115 in the previous 12 months.
Among the other mistakenly released offenders was Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, a 24-year-old Algerian sex offender. Lammy expressed outrage and confirmed that officials were working through the night to recapture him. During a parliamentary session at a B-Team Prime Minister's Questions, opposition MPs questioned whether Kaddour-Cherif was an asylum seeker. Lammy initially withheld details but later clarified that Kaddour-Cherif arrived legally, and his visa had expired, confirming he is not an asylum seeker.
Critics accused Lammy of misleading Parliament and questioned his handling of the situation, with members of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties challenging his account and conduct during the exchange. The incident has been framed as part of a longstanding and expanding problem within the justice system regarding failures to properly determine who should remain in prison, a responsibility shared across the courts, Prison Service, Ministry of Justice, and Home Office.
