Released Prisoner and Sex Offender Tracked Down and Arrested
Brahim Kaddour Cherif, a registered sex offender who was mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth, has been captured following a major police search. His release error prompted the Metropolitan Police to launch an urgent manhunt.
Accidental Release and Immediate Response
The 24-year-old Algerian national was wrongly allowed to leave prison, leading to an alert across London. Police were notified of his release on Tuesday and quickly began efforts to find him. Cherif had been convicted in November 2024 of indecent exposure connected to an incident in March of that year.
He had received an 18-month community order and was placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for five years. Authorities reported that Cherif had known ties to Tower Hamlets and Westminster.
Public Tip-Off Leads to Arrest
“At 11.23am on Friday, 7 November, a call was received from a member of the public reporting a sighting of a man they believed to be Brahim Kaddour-Cherif in the vicinity of Capital City College on Blackstock Road in Islington,” said a Metropolitan Police spokesperson.
“Officers responded immediately and at 11.30am detained a man matching Cherif's description. His identity was confirmed and he was arrested for being unlawfully at large.”
Police also confirmed that Cherif was taken into custody and additionally arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker in connection with a separate incident. The Prison Service has been informed of his arrest.
Author’s Summary
A mistakenly freed sex offender from HMP Wandsworth was tracked and detained after a public sighting, prompting swift police action and renewed scrutiny of prison release procedures.