Updated: Man Released In Error From Wandsworth Hands Himself In

Published on: 5 Nov, 2025
Updated on: 6 Nov, 2025

Billy Smith

A 35-year-old man convicted of multiple fraud offences was released in error from HMP Wandsworth on Monday (November 3).

Today (November 6) it was revealed that William Smith – who goes by the name Billy – had handed himself in at the prison.

Surrey police had been searching for Smith, saying at the time that he has links to Woking but could be anywhere in Surrey.

Smith was sentenced to 45 months for fraud at Croydon Crown Court on Monday, appearing via a live video link from Wandsworth.

According to the BBC, he was released as a result of a clerical error at the court level. He was given a custodial sentence but it was entered in the computer system as a suspended sentence.

Smith was the second person in a week to be wrongly released from Wandsworth. The previous Wednesday (October 29) a 24-year-old Algerian sex offender, Brahim Kaddour-Cherif – who has links to Tower Hamlets in London – was also released in error. It is understood he is not an asylum seeker but had overstayed his visa visit.

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