On Thursday, Billy Smith, a 35-year-old inmate, returned to a Victorian-era prison to serve out the remainder of his nearly four-year sentence for fraud. His voluntary surrender followed a brief escape, which brought media attention to both him and another escaped inmate, Cherif.
Cherif, a 24-year-old registered sex offender, had been incarcerated for trespassing with the intent to steal. His legal troubles began with a previous conviction for indecent exposure. Originally from Algeria, Cherif had overstayed a legal visit to the UK in 2019, leading to the initiation of deportation proceedings against him. However, his escape from prison complicated the situation further.
The drama escalated when Cherif was apprehended by police in north London, an event captured on film by Sky News. During the arrest, Cherif initially attempted to conceal his identity, telling officers, “I’m not Brahim, bro,” despite being recognized by a police officer who identified him by his distinctive nose.
Cherif, aware of his notoriety, remarked, “Everyone knows him, he’s in the news,” referring to himself in the third person as he continued to deny responsibility for his presence on the streets. His capture marked the end of a brief escape that had captivated the public’s attention.
“I’m not Brahim, bro,” he initially told a police officer who said he recognised his distinctive nose.
“Everyone know him, he’s in (the) news,” Cherif said.
After police officers pulled out their phones to look at the photo of the wanted man, he effectively admitted he was Cherif.
“It is not my fault,” Cherif said. “They released me illegally.”
Both men were wrongly freed from Wandsworth, which was built in southwest London in the middle of the 19th century, and was under scrutiny after another prisoner escaped two years ago by clinging to the underside of a food delivery truck.
The inadvertent releases followed more stringent security checks that were supposed to be in place after an asylum-seeker who inspired a rise of anti-immigrant protests was mistakenly freed from Chelmsford Prison, east of London, on October 24.
Prison chiefs were summoned to a meeting on Thursday to discuss the errors and said efforts were being made to update a system that still uses paper prison records.
The mistaken releases have become a source of heated debate and a political liability for the Labour government after being a thorn in the side of their Conservative predecessors.
According to government figures, 262 prisoners were released in error in the year ending March 2025, a 128 per cent increase on the previous 12-month period.
Conservatives say the Labour government is to blame for a policy to release some inmates earlier to ensure prisons don’t exceed capacity.
But Labour has blamed 14 years of Conservative rule and years of austerity that has starved the Prison Service of resources.
“We inherited a prison system in crisis and I’m appalled at the rate of releases in error this is causing,” Justice Secretary David Lammy said after the arrest.
“I’m determined to grip this problem, but there is a mountain to climb which cannot be done overnight.”
