Justice System Falters as Migrant Sex Offenders Wrongly Released Amid Political Backlash
Hadush Kebatu, a migrant sex offender who arrived in the UK on a small boat, was released from prison by accident and later deported; this case was followed by the wrongful release of two additional prisoners.
Government figures published in July showed that 262 prisoners were released in error in the year to March, marking a 128% increase from 115 in the previous 12 months.
In response, Justice Secretary David Lammy announced the introduction of the strongest release checks in place following the Kebatu case, though faults in the system persist.
Among the wrongly released was Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, a 24-year-old Algerian sex offender; Lammy expressed outrage and stated that officials were working overnight to return him to prison.
During a Prime Minister's Questions session held amid a COP meeting, opposition questions about an asylum-seeking offender's release led Lammy to avoid direct answers; it later became clear that Kaddour-Cherif was not an asylum seeker but had arrived legally on a visa that had expired.
Political reaction was notable, with Conservatives demanding that Lammy explain the issues to Parliament and Iain Duncan Smith suggesting that Lammy may have misled MPs. The Liberal Democrats and Reform also criticised the handling of the situation, and some commentary accused Lammy of poor conduct during exchanges.
The wider issue highlights that the justice system repeatedly fails to accurately determine who should be in prison, a problem described as growing and linked to complex factors involving the courts, the Prison Service, the Ministry of Justice, and the Home Office.
This situation is set within the broader political context of migration and small boat crossings; the Home Secretary has described such arrivals as shameful, portraying the government as struggling to manage the issue effectively.
