One of two HMP Wandsworth prisoners who were mistakenly released back onto the streets has been found.
Fraudster William ‘Billy’ Smith, 35, was wrongly set free from the scandal-hit jail on Monday but handed himself in today after a three-day manhunt.
The fugitive was filmed stepping out of a white van and returning to HMP Wandsworth today, where he smoked a cigarette and smiled at TV crews before strolling back into the prison gates to begin his 45-month sentence.
His accidental release was confirmed just hours after a manhunt was launched for Algerian sex offender Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, 24, who has been at large since he was mistakenly freed from the south London prison on October 29.
Smith was let out on the streets on the same day he was sentenced to nearly four years for multiple fraud offences at Croydon Crown Court on November 3.
It’s understood the blunder was made after his sentence was mixed up with another inmate who has the same surname.
Smith was convicted alongside a co-defendant, Joseph Smith, who was given a suspended sentence which allowed him to walk free.
‘Billy’, meanwhile, was being held on remand at HMP Wandsworth and was handed a custodial sentence. It’s understood their sentences were mixed up and Billy was released.
Surrey Police confirmed today: ‘We are cancelling our appeal to help find wanted 35-year-old William Smith who was released in error from HMP Wandsworth on Monday, 3 November. Smith handed himself in to HMP Wandsworth today.’
The double blunder is the latest controversy to hit HMP Wandsworth, the same prison where former soldier Daniel Khalife mounted his high-profile escape from and where female prison officer Linda De Sousa Abreu was filmed having sex with an inmate.
It also marks another humiliating blow to the Government who are still scrambling to recover from the fallout of migrant sex attacker Hadush Kebatu being mistakenly freed from HMP Chelmsford just days ago.
Fraudster William ‘Billy’ Smith, 35, smiled to cameras as he handed himself back into HMP Wandsworth
The fugitive smoked a cigarette before he walked back into the prison to serve his 45-month sentence
Algerian migrant Brahim Kaddour-Cherif (pictured) has been at large after being accidentally freed from HMP Wandsworth on October 29
Kebatu, who was convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman in Epping, Essex, was freed in error on October 24 before he was arrested in Finsbury Park, north London, three days later.
The Ethiopian migrant, whose offences sparked protests outside the asylum seeker hotel he was staying in and around the country, was deported to his home country last Tuesday. He was paid £500 in taxpayers’ money to leave after threatening to disrupt his removal.
Labour MP Rosena Allin-Khan, who represents Tooting, in south London, yesterday wrote to the Home Secretary and Justice Secretary to demand answers, warning that many in her community will be fearful of Kaddour-Cherif being on the loose.
Just two days before the prisoners were released, David Lammy, the Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary, had vowed to increase checks on prisoners being released following the nationwide manhunt for Kebatu.
It’s understood he knew about the second wrongly released prisoner ‘overnight’ but refused to answer five times whether any more asylum seekers had been mistakenly freed since Kebatu during deputy Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday.
Kaddour-Cherif came to Britain legally on a visa in 2019 but his visa expired and he has been here as an ‘overstayer’ since, it is understood.
The Home Office flagged his immigration records as an overstayer on February 6, 2020, sources said. It means that since then he has been in Britain illegally.
But it is unclear why no further action was taken against him when he came into contact with police and the courts on numerous occasions in recent years.
Kaddour-Cherif is now in the initial stages of the deportation process, it is understood. However, it is not clear when that process began.
Fraudster William ‘Billy’ Smith (pictured), 35, was wrongly set free from the scandal-hit jail on Monday but handed himself in after a three-day manhunt
It comes just days after Hedush Kebatu (pictured) was wrongly freed from HMP Chelmsford instead of being sent to an immigration detention centre
A manhunt is still ongoing for an Algerian prisoner who was released by mistake from Wandsworth prison (file photo)
He had been serving time for a break-in at the Royal Society of Literature in Somerset House on the Strand in September 2023.
He also had a previous sexual offence conviction for exposing himself to a woman in March 2024 in Lloyd Park in Walthamstow, east London – not far from his address in Tower Hamlets.
Kaddour-Cherif had previously been convicted of a string of other alleged offences, including possession of a knife and a count of burglary.
He was convicted in November 2024 of indecent exposure relating to an incident in March that year. He was sentenced to an 18 month community order and placed on the sex offenders’ register for five years.
Labour’s Ms Allin-Khan said she had been ‘raising issues’ about Wandsworth prison for years.
‘I’m horrified to learn that someone was mistakenly released from Wandsworth Prison with such a shocking list of offences. Local residents will quite rightly be deeply concerned. We urgently need answers from the Government and Ministry of Justice as to how this was allowed to happen,’ she said.
In September 2023, Daniel Khalife, who was awaiting trial for spying for Iran, escaped from HMP Wandsworth after strapping himself to the underside of a food delivery truck. He was arrested in Northolt, west London, three days later after a huge manhunt.
Then earlier this year, HMP Wandsworth prisoner officer Linda De Sousa Abreu was jailed for 15 months after she was filmed having sex with an inmate.
An inspection last year found failures in leadership ‘at every level’, with high rates of self-harm, dangerous levels of violence and drugs, severe overcrowding and appalling conditions.
In a letter to Mr Lammy and Shabana Mahmood, Ms Allin-Khan said: ‘This event raises serious questions about the operational procedures and staffing levels within Wandsworth Prison and across the wider prison estate, which as you will know I have been raising for many years.
‘In your role as Justice Secretary, what reassurances can you give to local residents in my community that Wandsworth Prison remains fit for purpose following these major security failures?
‘Furthermore, can you explain why it took almost a week for the Metropolitan Police to be made aware of this, and how many days did it take the Ministry of Justice to find out he was released incorrectly?’
The Labour MP added: ‘Residents in Tooting will be eager to know that every measure is being taken to ensure that Wandsworth Prison is secure and that this individual is returned to custody as soon as possible.’
Met Police Commander Paul Trevers, who is overseeing the manhunt for Kaddour-Cherif, said yesterday: ‘It is just over 24 hours since we were informed of Cherif’s release. We launched an immediate manhunt and urgent enquiries have been ongoing since.
‘Cherif has had a six-day head start but we are working urgently to close the gap and establish his whereabouts.
‘We will continue to use all the means at our disposal but we are also appealing for the public’s help to find him. We have seen in the very recent past how important alert members of the public reporting sightings can be.
‘To assist with that effort we have released an image of Cherif and bodyworn video footage from an arrest in September this year.’