Police Investigation After Release of Migrant Sex Offender

Authorities in Britain have launched a police investigation following the “mistaken” release of another migrant sex offender from prison, further complicating matters for the Labor government.

This comes just days after a significant issue arose when an Ethiopian immigrant, who had previously assaulted a 14-year-old girl at an asylum hotel, was erroneously released. The Metropolitan Police in London has announced that they are now looking into another case of a wrongfully released foreign prisoner.

During Prime Minister’s Questions, Conservative MP James Cartridge pressed Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy about any other migrant criminals who might have been released since the incident with Kebatu. Lammy, however, focused on the failures of the previous Conservative administration regarding prison management, without directly addressing the questions about other releases.

It was soon confirmed by the police that a 24-year-old Algerian criminal had also been released “in error” just last week. An investigation was initiated following this revelation.

According to a statement from the Metropolitan Police to Sky News, they were alerted about the mistaken release of a prisoner from HMP Wandsworth. The notification came shortly after 1 p.m. on November 4, stating the release had happened on October 29.

“The prisoner is a 24-year-old Algerian man. Officers are conducting an urgent investigation to locate him and return him to custody,” the statement added.

Reports indicate that the Algerian was serving a sentence for trespassing with the intent to steal but had a history of sexual offenses. It remains unclear why it took nearly a week for authorities to realize he was missing.

This situation follows the troubling release of Hadush Kebatou from Chelford prison on October 24. Kebatou, who crossed the English Channel illegally and had been convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl, was mistakenly let go. His case triggered widespread protests against the government’s asylum housing strategy, which aims to place undocumented immigrants in hotels, predominantly young men.

Despite the severity of the situation, Kebatou was released into the community, prompting a two-day police search. Interestingly, he attempted to turn himself in several times but was reportedly turned away. Ultimately, he was rearrested in London after two days and deported back to Ethiopia, where he received £500 in taxpayer funds to assist with his emigration.

In response to the emerging scandal, Deputy Prime Minister Lammy ordered a review of the apparent deficiencies in the prison system and promised to enhance supervision over prisoner releases. Alarmingly, data shows that between March 2024 and March 2025, a total of 262 prisoners were mistakenly released.