How could this happen... again?

Lammy blasts 'failing system as TWO more wrongly freed

- SOPHIE HUSKISSON, DAVE BURKE and TOM PETTIFOR

THE chaos at the heart of our justice system was exposed last night after it emerged two more prisoners were wrongly released.

Sex offender Brahim Kaddour-Cherif and fraudster William Smith walked free from Wandsworth jail within days of each other.

The dual blunders came just days after paedophile Hadush Kebatu was mistakenly released.

Like Kebatu, who has been sent back to Ethiopia, Algerian national Kaddour-Cherif was mistakenly freed during the deportation process last week. The Metropolitan Police was not told of the error for six days.

Smith walked out despite being sentenced to 45 months after he was confused with a co-defendant who has the same surname.

Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy was grilled about the double gaffe when he stood in for Keir Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions yesterday.

He accused the Tories of "criminal negligence" of the justice system during their 14 years in power.

Mr 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.

EXPOSURE