UK Authorities Hunt for Migrant Sex Offender Wrongly Released from Wandsworth Prison

UK authorities are searching for a convicted migrant sex offender who was mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth instead of being deported, in what has become the second such incident involving the London prison.

The offender, identified as 24-year-old Algerian national Ibrahim Kaddour-Cherif, was freed last week despite being due for deportation five years ago. Officials discovered the error only after his release, prompting the Prison Service to alert the Metropolitan Police.

Kaddour-Cherif had completed his custodial term but was meant to remain in detention pending removal from the UK. Instead, he walked free from the same prison previously criticised over administrative failures and high-profile escapes.

The Home Office and the Prison Service are now facing renewed pressure over oversight of foreign offenders and deportation processes, with critics demanding urgent reforms to prevent similar lapses.

Police are appealing to the public for information on Kaddour-Cherif’s whereabouts and have warned that efforts are ongoing to locate and detain him. Authorities have not stated how the error occurred but say an internal investigation is underway.