Second Prison Release Blunder in Two Weeks: Police Hunt Algerian Man as Justice Sec Lammy Refuses Assurance

For the second time in two weeks, London police are searching for a foreign prisoner who was mistakenly released from custody, highlighting a deepening crisis within His Majesty’s Prison Service.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed Wednesday that a 24-year-old Algerian man was accidentally released from HMP Wandsworth in south-west London on October 29. Police were only informed of the error more than 24 hours later, on Tuesday afternoon, and are now carrying out “urgent enquiries” to locate him. The man’s identity and the charges he faced were not released.

Political Firestorm in Parliament
The news broke just minutes after Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Justice David Lammy repeatedly refused to assure the House of Commons that no further accidental releases had occurred since the last major blunder.

Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice David Lammy arrives to attend a weekly cabinet meeting at Downing Street on October 28, 2025, in London, England. (Photo by Leon Neal।

During Prime Minister’s Questions, Opposition defence spokesperson James Cartlidge pressed Lammy five times on the matter. Lammy, instead of giving assurances, lashed out at the opposition, defending his decision to establish an ongoing review led by Dame Lynne Owens.

“Get a grip man,” Lammy shouted over the chamber’s roar, defending the review which is due to be completed before Christmas.

Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge speaks on stage on day three of the Conservative party conference at Manchester Central Convention Complex on October 7, 2025. (Photo by Ian Forsyth।

This latest prison security failure follows the highly embarrassing case of Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, a convicted sex offender whose mistaken release from a Chelmsford prison led to the removal of a prison officer and an internal investigation. Kebatu was rearrested in north London on October 26, just three days before the Algerian prisoner was freed.

The incidents come amid alarming figures: 262 prisoners were released in error in the year to March 2025, marking a staggering 128 per cent increase from the previous year, according to UK government data released in July.

The political opposition and figures like Reform UK leader Nigel Farage have seized on the failures, using them to intensify the debate over unauthorized migration and government’s handling of migrant offenders.