An Algerian sex offender mistakenly released from prison was recaptured yesterday after 50 police officers joined the hunt in order to ‘spare David Lammy’s blushes’.
Scotland Yard pulled officers off other jobs fighting crime in London, deploying ‘significant resources’ to find Brahim Kaddour-Cherif.
The criminal was on the run for a week before prison officials realised he had been released in error from HMP Wandsworth on October 29.
The arrest of Kaddour-Cherif was captured on camera by a Sky News team after a homeless man alerted police that the fugitive was hiding at an Algerian cafe in Finsbury Park at 11.30am yesterday.
A police officer, comparing the fugitive with his wanted photo, told Kaddour-Cherif that he had a ‘very distinctive wonky nose’, as the inmate claimed: ‘I’m not Brahim, my name is Ryan.’
Unconvinced, police reached for the handcuffs, saying: ‘You look identical to the person released from custody.’
As he was put in a police van, Kaddour-Cherif turned to the cameras saying: ‘Look at the justice of the UK… It’s not my f****** fault. They released me!’
He was arrested for being unlawfully at large and on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker in a previous incident.
Scotland Yard pulled officers off other jobs fighting crime in London, deploying ‘significant resources’ to find Brahim Kaddour-Cherif
The criminal was was arrested for being unlawfully at large and on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker in a previous incident after being on the run for a week before prison officials realised he had been released in error
He is currently in the process of being deported after he overstayed his visa.
Due to the high-profile nature of his wrongful release, which has embarrassed the Justice Secretary, the Force had to call on specialist capability, including officers from the counter-terrorism team, to help track down the fugitive.
The manhunt is estimated to have cost the force tens of thousands of pounds.
Ordinarily, the Metropolitan Police might assign just a single officer to track down a criminal, depending on the risk they pose to the public.
Kaddour-Cherif was awaiting trial for a number of offences including possession of a knife, burglary and handling stolen bank cards.
The Mail understands that the 24-year-old, who has a conviction for flashing and was serving a sentence for trespass with intent to steal, was not considered by police to pose a high risk to the public.
But it was the high-profile nature of the case, after Mr Lammy’s failure to come clean about it during Prime Minister’s Questions, which necessitated such a huge police response at substantial cost to the taxpayer.
Mr Lammy is facing a growing backlash over his handling of the case, with even Cabinet colleagues said to be stewing over his ‘rank incompetence’.
The manhunt is estimated to have cost the force tens of thousands of pounds after Kaddour-Cherif was released in error from HMP Wandsworth on October 29
Days earlier, the minister had announced the strictest ever release checks following the mistaken release last month of migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu.
Yesterday, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: ‘Fifty specialist officers were needed to catch him [Kaddour-Cherif] in order to spare David Lammy’s blushes. Mr Lammy has lost control of the justice system and is too cowardly to explain himself.’
Mr Lammy said last night: ‘I’m appalled at the rate of releases in error.
‘I’m determined to grip this problem but there is a mountain to climb.’
