Police are actively searching for William Wenham, a prisoner who was mistakenly released from HMP Rochester while awaiting trial. The incident occurred on June 3, 2023, as Wenham was serving a two-year sentence for a previous conviction. He was also awaiting trial for aggravated burglary, a serious offense that has raised concerns about the management of prison releases.
Wenham, 47, had been convicted of burglary with intent to steal in his absence at Cambridge Crown Court on October 3, 2023. According to Sussex Police, he has connections to various locations including Havant, Worthing, Brighton, and Peterborough. This incident marks another case in a troubling pattern of erroneous releases from UK prisons.
Escalating Concerns Over Prisoner Releases
This is not the first time such an error has occurred. In May 2023, Hadush Kebatu, a migrant sex offender, was released by mistake from Chelmsford Prison. Following a two-day manhunt, Kebatu was arrested in Finsbury Park, highlighting the risks posed by these mistakes.
Moreover, last week it was revealed that two additional prisoners released by error earlier in 2024 are still at large. This brings the total number of inmates mistakenly released this year to four. Among them is Ola Abimbola, a Nigerian national who allegedly walked out of the open prison HMP Ford on October 10, 2023.
Re-arrest of Other Released Prisoners
In a related case, Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, an Algerian sex offender, was re-arrested last Friday after being mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth. His release sparked a significant police manhunt, and he was detained following a tip-off from a member of the public. Kaddour-Cherif had been serving a sentence for trespass with intent to steal and had a previous conviction for indecent exposure.
The repeated mistakes in prisoner releases raise serious questions about the oversight and procedures in place within the UK prison system. As police continue to search for Wenham, the focus remains on ensuring that such errors do not occur in the future. The public and authorities alike are keen to see improvements in how prisoner releases are managed to prevent further incidents.
