Virginia Giuffre’s memoir wins top book award
Virginia Giuffre's memoir 'Nobody’s Girl' wins top prize at British Book Awards
BBC News1 min read
Inmate released in error could now be abroad
TL;DR
Ifedayo Adeyeye, mistakenly released from HMP Pentonville, may have left the UK within three days of his release. He was jailed for contempt of court related to the abduction of his son and was due for extradition to France.
Key points
- Ifedayo Adeyeye was jailed for contempt of court
- He was mistakenly released from HMP Pentonville
- Police are trying to track him down
- He may have left the UK shortly after his release
- Adeyeye was due for extradition to France
Mentioned in this story
Ifedayo AdeyeyeLaurys N'Djosse AdeyeyeHMP PentonvilleIslingtonFrance
A man jailed over the abduction of his five-year-old son may have left the UK in the three days it took prison staff to notify police he had been mistakenly released from custody, the High Court has been told.
Ifedayo Adeyeye was released from HMP Pentonville in Islington, north London, on 21 April, having been jailed for contempt of court over the abduction of Laurys N'Djosse Adeyeye.
Prison staff allowed the 58-year-old's release despite him being ordered to serve a 12-month sentence the day before, and being due to be extradited to France upon its completion.
The police said they were using the "powers at [their] disposal" to track him down and re-arrest him.
Mr Justice Hayden said at a hearing on Monday that, following his release, Adeyeye "strolled about" the London area and "had a very nice dinner" and "quite a lot of drink" at a local pub, before transferring thousands of pounds to others from a bank account.
It is believed Adeyeye may have travelled to Spain the following day, all before prison staff contacted the Metropolitan Police on the afternoon of 24 April.
Mr Justice Hayden said: "The public is entitled to expect far better than this."
Last June, the same judge ruled that Adeyeye, a dual British-Nigerian national, abducted Laurys from his mother, Claire N'Djosse, in France and took him to the African country via the UK.
The news of Adeyeye's release comes after a former asylum seeker who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl was mistakenly freed from HMP Chelmsford in October.
The manhunt for Hadush Kebatu cost police forces more than £150,000, a review found.
Data published by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) last month showed that 179 inmates were wrongly released between April 2025 and March 2026.
The MoJ said it was working with police to recapture Adeyeye, and was investing up to £82m to drive down accidental releases, adding: "We inherited a prison system in crisis after years of underinvestment, which has resulted in unacceptable rises in release in errors."
Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and
Q&A
What led to Ifedayo Adeyeye's mistaken release from prison?
Ifedayo Adeyeye was mistakenly released due to prison staff allowing his release despite a court order for a 12-month sentence for contempt of court.
How long was Ifedayo Adeyeye free before the police were notified?
He was free for three days before prison staff notified the police of the mistake.
What actions did Adeyeye take after his release from prison?
After his release, Adeyeye was seen enjoying a dinner at a local pub and transferring thousands of pounds from his bank account.
