David Vance SubstackRead More
The UK is broken. Nothing works. Illegal Migrants can just stroll out of our prisons!
The latest series of blunders at HMP Wandsworth are symptomatic of a government and prison system that is not fit for purpose. In barely a week, a week!! – two prisoners—one a convicted fraudster, the other an Algerian migrant sex offender—were released in error. This plunges public confidence in government oversight and criminal justice to new lows. It’s quite unbelievable and equally depressing.
Brahim Kaddour-Cherif is the 24-year-old Algerian who overstayed his visa and amassed a string of convictions. Not only was he released by mistake on October 29, but astonishingly, the police were not even informed of the blunder until nearly a week later. An entire week!!! This delay meant that this dangerous offender was given a six-day head start, and even then the authorities only acted when the threat could no longer be ignored. The system’s checks were evaded with ease. Kaddour-Cherif fobbed off both courts and police by providing a false address, while bemused residents of the given property endured repeated, fruitless police visits.
Then there was the shocking case of Hadush Kebatu who was arrested in London after a three-day manhunt that was sparked when HMP Chelmsford freed him in error on 24th October. Kebatu was jailed for one year in September, having been found guilty of two sexual assaults, harassing the girl and inciting her to engage in sexual activity in July. The Ethiopian, who was living at The Bell Hotel in Epping at the time of his offending, was eventually deported on 28 October. Staff were meant to be taking him to a deportation centre when he was instead released.
I mean how can this happen? Well, the answer is that it happens a LOT and in increasing numbers. 262 prisoners were released by accident in the 12 months to March 2025, which is a 128% increase from 115 prisoners released by mistake in the previous 12 months ending March 2024. This figure includes releases both from prison establishments and courts, with the majority (233) being from prisons.
The increase in accidental releases has been linked to legislative changes introduced by Labour and an early release scheme introduced in September 2024 to address prison overcrowding. The truth is that dangerous criminals can now walk out of prison in the UK and nobody seems to notice.
The government’s response hardly inspires confidence. Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy responded with outrage but deflection, blaming predecessors while unveiling new “stronger checks.”
Yet, two high-profile errors in a matter of days—amidst ongoing controversy over previous escapes, staff misconduct, overcrowding, and spiralling violence—demonstrate that such assurances are paper thin.
Residents and MPs alike demand to know why basic security protocols failed so spectacularly and why operational chaos has become almost routine.
Figures reveal that mistaken prisoner releases have more than doubled in a year—a scandalous indictment of managerial breakdown and systemic neglect. Excuses from both government and opposition ring hollow against a backdrop of repeated “investigations” never yielding lasting improvement. With exhausted officers and local residents alike losing faith, it is clear that both Whitehall and the prison service are out of their depth.
Unless urgent, radical reform is undertaken, the pattern will undoubtedly repeat. The public deserves a criminal justice system that offers protection—not more headlines about catastrophic mistakes, shambolic oversight, and deepening mistrust in government and custodial institutions.
