UK: Man Wrongly Released from Prison Surrenders
Surrey County Police in the United Kingdom reported that William Smith, who had been mistakenly freed from Wandsworth Prison in London, has surrendered and is now back in custody. Smith turned himself in three days after the accidental release.
“We are withdrawing our appeal for help in locating wanted 35-year-old William Smith, who was wrongly released from HMP Wandsworth on Monday, November 3. Today, Smith surrendered himself to HMP Wandsworth,”
the police confirmed in their statement.
According to the BBC, Smith had been sentenced to 45 months in prison for several fraud offences at Croydon Crown Court, on the same day he was mistakenly released. He was one of two individuals wrongly freed from Wandsworth Prison. The second, 24-year-old sex offender Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, who was released by mistake on October 29, remains at large.
Justice Minister Alex Davies-Jones told the BBC that the prison system is in deep crisis and cannot be fixed instantly. In turn, Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick described the situation as a “complete mess.”
Author’s Summary
William Smith, accidentally released from Wandsworth Prison, has turned himself in, as officials face mounting criticism over ongoing prison system failures in the UK.