A convicted sex offender who was mistakenly released from prison has been rearrested in north London after nearly a week on the run, police said Friday.
Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, 24, was detained in Islington late Friday morning after a member of the public recognised him on Blackstock Road and alerted authorities, the Metropolitan Police confirmed.
Kaddour-Cherif had been “released in error” from HMP Wandsworth on October 29. The Met was only informed of the mistake on Tuesday, leaving officers six days behind in the search.
His release came despite Justice Secretary David Lammy implementing what he described as the “toughest ever” checks following a similar incident two weeks earlier, when migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu was wrongly freed from HMP Chelmsford.
“Officers responded immediately and he was arrested,” a Met spokesperson said.
Kaddour-Cherif is expected to be returned to prison.
