UK again mistakenly frees 12 prisoners; two remain at large: officials

UK Justice Secretary David Lammy said that 12 inmates were mistakenly released over the past three weeks, two of whom are still missing. (Photo/AA)

UK Justice Secretary David Lammy said that 12 inmates were mistakenly released over the past three weeks, two of whom are still missing.

The incidents add to the 91 erroneous releases recorded between April and October across England and Wales.

Lammy told the BBC on Tuesday that such mistakes were inevitable while prisons continue relying on paper record-keeping, saying improvements would come only with a “completely digital system.”

He described recent mistakes as a “spike” but said the trend was now “on a downward trajectory.”

Concerns rise over public safety

Speaking later to ITV, Lammy said he had been “reassured” that the two prisoners still missing were neither violent nor sexual offenders.

“I'm not going to give details of those cases, because these are operational decisions made by the police,” he said. “You'll understand if they're about to arrest somebody they don't want me to blow the cover.”

Public concern has intensified after the wrongful release of Hadush Kebatu, who was jailed for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman while housed in an asylum hotel. He has since been re-arrested and deported to Ethiopia.

Two other prisoners – William Smith, who later surrendered, and Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, who was re-detained – were also freed in error around the same time, prompting the government to introduce stricter release checks.

Since Lammy briefed Parliament on November 11 about the mistakes, accidental releases have continued. He partly blamed staffing losses accumulated under the previous Conservative government, saying there was “a mountain to climb.”

Official figures show such errors jumped 128 percent in the past year – from 115 in 2023–2024 to 262 in 2024-2025.

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Source: TRT