UPDATED: William Smith handed himself in on Thursday morning.
Scotland Yard’s confirmed an Algerian man was let out of Wandsworth jail last Wednesday in error.
It’s understood he was serving time for trespass.
It also fell within the week of sex offender Hadush Kebatu’s wrongful release.
In the Commons, justice secretary David Lammy’s repeatedly refused to say whether the Kebatu incident has been followed by any further
The Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said:
“I am absolutely outraged and appalled by the mistaken release of a foreign criminal wanted by the police. The Metropolitan Police is leading an urgent manhunt, and my officials have been working through the night to take him back to prison.
“Victims deserve better and the public deserve answers. That is why I have already brought in the strongest checks ever to clamp down on such failures and ordered an independent investigation, led by Dame Lynne Owens to uncover what went wrong and address the rise in accidental releases which has persisted for too long.
“This latest incident exposes deeper flaws across the failing criminal justice system we inherited. Dame Lynne Owens’ investigation will leave no stone unturned to identify these issues, so we can fix them, improve safeguards and ensure the public is properly protected.”
The news comes just two years after Daniel Khalife evaded capture for three days after escaping from Wandsworth prison under a lorry.
The 23 year old former British soldier was awaiting trial for spying for Iran and was jailed for 14 years and three months.
Here’s Labour’s Lola McEvoy
David Lammy was repeatedly challenged in the Commons by Tory James Cartlidge
Nigel Farage has called it “a Farce”
