Hours after the Met Police's announcement, Surrey Police said another man - William Smith - had also been released in error from Wandsworth Prison in the past week.

Surrey Police said Smith had been sentenced to 45 months for"multiple fraud offences" on Monday but had been released later the same day.

The BBC understands that Smith was mistakenly recorded as receiving a suspended sentence rather than a custodial one."

The error was corrected by the court but the amendment was sent to the wrong person.

Smith is described as white, bald and clean-shaven, police say, adding:"Smith was last seen wearing a navy long sleeve jumper with the Nike brand 'tick' across the front in white, navy blue tracksuit bottoms with a Nike 'tick' in white on the left pocket, and black trainers."

The police urged the public get in touch if they had any information.

Some 262 prisoners in England and Wales were mistakenly released in the year to March 2025, according to the latest figures, up 128% from 115 the previous year.

Staff at HMP Wandsworth told the BBC the prison has been in a state of panic after the accidental release.

Security has been a major concern at the prison for some time. An inspection report last year found chaos on the wings, with staff across most units unable to confirm where all their prisoners were during the working day.

In 2023 Daniel Khalife escaped from HMP Wandsworth while awaiting trial for spying for Iran.