A Labour activist has pinpointed the most “baffling” detail of the accidental release of a second prisoner in recent weeks.
Speaking to GB News, Aisha Ali-Khan said the mistaken release of 24-year-old Brahim Kaddour-Cherif was “shocking”.
The Metropolitan Police has launched a manhunt for the Algerian man after being mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth on October 29.
Following a previous conviction, Kaddour-Cherif was placed on the sex offenders’ register, and had been in prison for trespass with an intent to steal.
Labour activist Aisha Ali-Khan has highlighted the most ‘baffling’ aspect of Brahim Kaddour-Cherif’ release from prison
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MET POLICE / GB NEWS
Detailing the case, Ms Ali-Khan told GB News: “This is just such a shocking incident yet again, and honestly, it’s quite baffling that the police weren’t even made aware of what’s happened until almost a week later.
“And obviously at PMQs today as well, David Lammy kind of avoided the question. It’s just a series of blunders that are doing nothing to calm the public, and it’s quite sad, actually.”
Urging for the police to apprehend Kaddour-Cherif as soon as possible, she added: “I heard Lee Anderson talking about how people are really concerned, and nobody should live like this. We just want to get this guy found and for him to go back inside.”
Criticising the structure of Wandsworth Prison, Ms Ali-Khan said the prison is “overcrowded” and has a “massive issue” with retention of staff.
The Algerian national was accidentally released from HMP Wandsworth on October 29
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PA
She explained: “If you actually look at Wandsworth, it is one of the oldest prisons. It’s a Victorian prison built in 1851. It was originally built for single occupancy, now those cells actually have more than one, they have two prisoners at a time.
“It’s massively overcrowded, and they’ve got a massive issue with retention of prison staff.”
She added: “We need prison officers to help maintain law and order within prisons, and right now, there’s only about 85 members of staff, compared to about 1500 inmates, which is actually a staggering number.”
In a statement, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: “The Met was informed of the release shortly after 13:00hrs yesterday (Tuesday, 4 November) and immediately deployed officers to begin a search.
‘We can confirm that the released prisoner is 24-year-old Brahim Kaddour Cherif who is an Algerian national. He is also known to use other variations of his name, including Ibrahim.
Ms Ali-Khan told GB News
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GB NEWS
“He is believed to have links to Tower Hamlets and is also known to frequent the Westminster area. We are aware of reporting that Cherif is a registered sex offender and can confirm that is accurate.
“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.”
Commander Paul Trevers, who is overseeing the investigation, said: “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.”