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A BBC Breakfast host issued a worrying update just minutes into Thursday's (November 6) show as a "manhunt went underway". During today's edition of the popular morning programme, Sarah Campbell and Ben Thompson kept viewers up to speed with the latest happenings from across the UK and globally. They were joined in the studio by Mike Bushell , who took charge of the sports segment, while Carol Kirkwood provided regular weather updates. At the beginning of the show, Sarah and Ben relayed a concerning update following the accidental release of two prisoners last week. "The Justice Secretary David Lammy is facing growing pressure after two prisoners, including an Algerian sex offender awaiting deportation, were freed by mistake," Ben started, reports the Express . Sarah continued: "A manhunt is underway for 24-year-old Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, who was was released from Wandsworth prison last week, and 35-year-old William Smith, who was jailed for fraud on Monday and released later the same day." Ben added: "Well, the incidents come just days after Mr Lammy said he would introduce immediate reforms following the accidental release of the asylum seeker and convicted sex offender Hadush Kebatu." Reacting to the recent accidental prison releases, David Lammy stated: "I am absolutely outraged and appalled by the mistaken release of a foreign criminal wanted by the police. "Victims deserve better and the public deserve answers." Later in the programme, Ben and Sarah chatted to Mark Fairhurst, Chair of the Prison Officers Association (POA). "So, in these two cases, it's not down to prison officers making a mistake," Mark confirmed. "In one case, it was the court who actually informed Wandsworth that the prisoner was serving a suspended sentence when he should have been serving a custodial sentence. "And in the second case, we simply didn't have a warrant, so where that warrant was has yet to be discovered. So, without a warrant we cannot legally hold someone in custody." After news of the accidental releases emerged, the BBC has revealed how recent government statistics demonstrate that these are far from one-off incidents. The most recent data reveals that 262 inmates in England and Wales were wrongly freed in the year leading up to March 2025, according to the prison service's annual digest. That represents a staggering 128% surge compared to the 115 prisoners discharged by mistake in the year ending March 2024. BBC Breakfast airs daily on BBC One at 6am
