A man convicted of a previous offense who was mistakenly released from prison recently confessed to committing burglary and carrying a weapon.
Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, aged 24, triggered a widespread search in November following his erroneous release from HMP Wandsworth, where he was supposed to be detained pending trial. Originally from Algeria, he has been unlawfully residing in the UK since 2020 and in 2024 was found guilty of indecent exposure in a London park, resulting in his classification as a sex offender.
Kaddour-Cherif appeared in Snaresbrook Crown Court on Tuesday, admitting to breaking into a garage in Walthamstow, east London, to steal bicycles. Additionally, he pleaded guilty on Friday via video link from HMP Pentonville to possessing a knife in south-west London.
The burglary occurred on January 6, 2024, while the knife incident took place on November 13, 2023. Judge Simon Heptonstall ordered Kaddour-Cherif back into custody, scheduling his sentencing for both crimes on January 27.
Moreover, he faces sentencing for failing to attend a court hearing at Kingston Crown Court on September 2 while out on bail. His accidental release from prison was an embarrassment for the authorities, coinciding with another mistaken release of Hadush Kebatu, a migrant convicted of sexually assaulting a minor.
Official figures from July last year showed a 128% rise in the number of prisoners erroneously released in the year leading up to March 2025, with 262 cases reported compared to 115 in the previous 12 months.
Residing in Whitechapel, east London, Kaddour-Cherif had initially denied the charges of burglary and carrying a knife, leading to his detention pending trial as per the judge’s decision at Snaresbrook Crown Court.
His release mishap occurred on October 29, but was only noticed on November 4 when the prison was contacted for a court hearing videolink and found him missing. Authorities apprehended Kaddour-Cherif three days later in Finsbury Park following a tip-off.
In 2024, his indecent exposure conviction resulted in an 18-month community order and inclusion in the sex offenders’ registry for five years. He also underwent brief detention at an immigration facility in June last year for deportation purposes but was swiftly granted immigration bail.