Algerian man released from London prison in error

An Algerian man has been mistakenly released from prison in London, police have said.

A Met Police spokesperson said officers were carrying out "urgent enquiries" to locate the 24-year-old man, who was released in error from HMP Wandsworth last Wednesday.

It comes after migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu was also released from prison by mistake last month.

The Ethiopian national, who arrived in the UK on a small boat, was jailed for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman while living in an asylum hotel in Epping, Essex.

The prime minister's spokesman said: "We completely accept that this type of case is utterly unacceptable and needs to be dealt with, and the system needs to be reformed and the appropriate checks need to be in place to stop this type of thing from ever happening."

He added that the government had inherited a prison system "in chaos" and there was "no overnight fix".

Asked repeatedly, he was unable to say whether Lammy was aware of the prisoner release during PMQs.

Some 262 prisoners in England and Wales were mistakenly released in the year leading up to March 2025, according to the latest figures, up 128% from 115 the previous year.