A manhunt was sparked in November when Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, a convicted sex offender, was mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth. The Algerian national, who has been living in the UK illegally since 2020, had previously been convicted for indecent exposure in a London park in 2024.
Kaddour-Cherif, 24, recently pleaded guilty to a burglary incident where he broke into a garage in Walthamstow, east London, to steal bicycles. Additionally, he admitted to carrying a knife in another incident in south-west London. Both crimes took place on different dates in 2023 and 2024.
Following his guilty pleas, Kaddour-Cherif was remanded back into custody by Judge Simon Heptonstall. He is set to be sentenced for the burglary, knife possession, and for missing a court hearing while on bail on January 27.
The accidental release of Kaddour-Cherif was a source of embarrassment for the government, occurring shortly after another released prisoner, Hadush Kebatu, was also mistakenly set free after being convicted of assaulting a teenage girl. Official figures revealed a significant increase in the number of prisoners released in error in the past year.
Despite initially denying the charges, Kaddour-Cherif was remanded in custody last year awaiting trial. His mistaken release was discovered a few days after he left prison, leading to his subsequent arrest in Finsbury Park. His previous conviction had resulted in a community order and registration as a sex offender for five years. Additionally, he had a brief detention for deportation efforts but was later released on immigration bail.
