Large explosion as Nato military plane crashes in Georgia

A Turkish military plane has crashed in Georgia after taking off from Azerbaijan with 20 Turkish personnel on board, including the flight crew.

A harrowing video showed the C-130 cargo plane spiralling and trailing white smoke before hitting the ground and erupting in a plume of black smoke on Tuesday.

Search and rescue teams were working to reach the site, Turkey’s defence ministry said. The cause of the crash and the number of any casualties are unclear.

“A few minutes” after entering Georgian airspace, the aircraft “disappeared from radar without transmitting a distress signal”, the Georgian air navigation service said in a statement.

Georgia’s interior ministry said the plane had gone down “about 5km from Georgia’s state border” with Azerbaijan.

The country’s Interpress news agency said the plane had crashed in Sighnaghi, a municipality in the Kakheti region in eastern Georgia, bordering Azerbaijan. It said the incident was being investigated, with a search and rescue mission underway.

The plane was returning to Turkey when it crashed, Turkey’s defence ministry confirmed.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan was handed a note by aides at the end of a speech in Ankara to inform him of the crash. He offered his condolences for “our martyrs”, referring to the personnel on the aircraft, without giving specific details of casualties.

“God willing, we will overcome this crash with minimum hardships,” he said. “May God rest the soul of our martyrs, and let us be with them through our prayers.”

Interpress cited the country’s interior ministry as saying the incident was being investigated under a criminal code article covering air transport and the loss of life.

Local media reports suggest that there were both Turkish and Azeri personnel on board, but did not cite numbers.

Azerbaijan’s president Ilham Aliyev expressed his condolences to President Erdogan, “the families and loved ones of the deceased, and the fraternal people of Turkey” in a call.

In an official readout, Aliyev said that he had discussed “the tragic news of the loss of servicemen” in the crash with Erdogan.

Tom Barrack, US ambassador to Turkey, said that he was “deeply saddened by today’s tragic crash of a Turkish Armed Forces aircraft”, and extended condolences to the families of the fallen, adding that the United States “stands in solidarity with our Turkish allies” in a statement on X (Twitter).

US firm Lockheed Martin, which makes the C-130 Hercules that is widely used by air forces around the world, said it is “committed” to supporting the investigation.

The C-130 Hercules is a cargo, troop and equipment carrier aircraft. It is described as a four-engine, turboprop military transport aircraft that can make use of unprepared runways for take-offs and landings.

Data from Flightradar24 shows the aircraft was flying under call sign TUAF543.

Last month, Turkey reached an agreement with the UK to buy 12 second-hand C-130J military transport aircraft.

Train attack hero says Ryanair is ‘childish’ for refusing refund

A victim of the mass stabbing on a train in Cambridgeshire has described Ryanair’s decision to deny him a refund as “sad and childish”.

Stephen Crean, 61, was due to fly to Austria on Wednesday 5 November to watch Nottingham Forest play SK Sturm Graz in the Europa League.

He was unable to make the journey, however, after sustaining stab wounds to his left hand, back, bottom and head in the attack on Saturday 1 November.

After confronting the attacker, he managed to escape by crawling into an empty toilet and locking the door before the train arrived at Huntingdon station. Mr Crean was hailed a hero for his actions.

Speaking to The Independent, Mr Crean described how friends attempted to secure a refund for the missed Ryanair flight.

“Somebody else has applied for me, because I haven’t had the use of my left hand and I’m left-handed,” he said. “So that’s the problem. Now I’m right-handed, and I’m just learning to use my right hand.”

“There are other people that are trying [on my behalf] – that are on Ryanair’s case – but they are still not having it.”

Despite the pressure, the airline has thus far refused to return Mr Crean’s payment.

“All Ryanair air fares are non-refundable, which is why we strongly recommend passengers take out travel insurance in order to protect themselves if they can’t travel,” a Ryanair spokesperson told The Independent.

The airline’s website states that all its tickets are generally non-refundable.

“If your flight operated and you didn’t travel, you’re not entitled to a refund. You may have valid reasons for deciding not to travel, but our business model is simple – we don’t offer refunds to people who don’t travel because the seat you booked has operated empty in your absence,” the policy states.

The policy states that passengers may be entitled to a refund when the airline has cancelled a flight, failed to operate the flight or denied boarding.

“That’s what they’ve said, and they’re going to stand by that, and I find it rather sad and childish,” said Mr Crean.

“It’s not all about money. It’s got nothing to do with money. And they should know that – it could have been Ryanair staff in that buffet car.”

“They should grow up a bit and do something. Just stop being petty about this, it’s childish.”

It is “pretty sickening”, he says, that the airline is refusing to change its mind. “I mean, there’s not very much you can do about it if they’re just set in their ways.

“I used to be like that. But things happen… and you change for the best.

“So maybe they must change, because people are going to think very low of them now.”

Philip Chambers, one of Mr Crean’s friends, said, according to The Telegraph, that Ryanair’s decision was “shocking”.

He went on to say that his friend was “gutted he couldn’t come” to Austria, and said: “I understand they have policies and I’d say I’m not surprised – but you think but they might change their mind when you think of the impact of what Stephen has done.”

Meanwhile, one Forest fan, Kevin George, said he hoped some fans would “start to boycott the airline over the fact they’ve refused to refund a hero who put himself on the line for others”.

While Mr Crean was unable to board his flight to Austria to catch the away game, he did attend Forest’s match against Leeds United on Sunday with his arm in a sling.

As he took his seat, his picture was shown on large screens as he was greeted with applause from home and away fans.

After the 1 November attack, 10 patients were taken by ambulance to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, and one patient self-presented, British Transport Police said last Tuesday.

Anthony Williams, 32, has been charged with 10 counts of attempted murder following the attack.

Read more: ‘There was nowhere to go, I didn’t have a choice’ – hero opens up on moment he confronted Huntingdon knife attacker

Indigenous protesters force way into Cop30 climate summit

Indigenous protesters forced their way into the Cop30 climate summit in Brazil.

Dozens clashed with security guards at the venue’s entrance in the Amazon city of Belem and demanded access to the UN compound where thousands of delegates gathered to discuss climate change.

The group had gathered at the summit with flags emblazoned with slogans calling for land rights and signs proclaiming “our land is not for sale”.

“We can’t eat money,” said Gilmar, an Indigenous leader from the Tupinamba community near the lower reaches of the Tapajos River in Brazil, in an interview with Reuters. He said that the groups were frustrated about ongoing developments in the forest.

“We want our lands free from agribusiness, oil exploration, illegal miners and illegal loggers.”

Dozens of Indigenous leaders had arrived by boat to take their place in talks and demand a stake in how their forests are managed.

One witness told Reuters that they saw a security guard clutching his stomach while being rushed away on a wheelchair.

A guard with a cut above his eye told the agency that he had been hit on the head by a heavy drumstick that had been thrown from the crowd. Several batons were confiscated by security.

Hundreds marched to the venue to protest the effects of climate change, and the group dispersed shortly after the clash. Delegates had been asked to move inside the building and not leave and were later allowed to exit.

On Tuesday, Raoni Metuktire, also known as Chief Raoni, told Reuters that Indigenous communities were critical about ongoing industry and development projects in the forest.

Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had insisted that Indigenous communities play a key role in this year’s Cop30 negotiations.

The meeting held in Brazil from 10 to 21 November, brings together representatives from nearly 200 countries to discuss climate resilience and the effects climate change on vulnerable regions.

Leaders of the United States, China and India – the planet’s three biggest polluters – are not attending.

Prime minister Keir Starmer, who is attending the summit in person, admitted the “consensus is gone” on the climate crisis as governments across the world scaled back their commitments to cut emissions.

“But that makes our duty even greater,” Stamer told the conference: “Because inaction will only deepen the problems of rising bills, energy insecurity and global instability.”

Flamingo missing from Cornwall wildlife park found living in France

A four-month-old flamingo, which went missing earlier this month from a wildlife park in Cornwall has now been discovered living in France.

Frankie the flamingo, who was born in July, went missing from a walled garden at Paradise Park in Hayle, near St Ives, during the morning of Sunday 2 of November, despite having her feathers clipped on one of her wings.

After more than a week of worry for her keepers, photographs taken in Tréflez, Brittany, reveal Frankie has flown south, and has made it to northern France.

Nick Reynolds, director of Paradise Park told The Independent: “We saw her at 7.30 in the morning. Then at 8.30 in the morning, I got a call saying ‘we can’t find the flamingo’, and I came back to the park to find she wasn’t there and we had no idea where she was.”

“We were pretty certain she’d flown out, there couldn’t have been any other scenarios really. She was inside our walled garden which has a 12-foot wall and aviaries built against that. So she’s got herself up and over the top of that, which is quite surprising.”

Mr Reynolds said that instead of pinioning the birds at the park’s wings, which means they are permanently unable to fly, instead the feathers are clipped, but in this case Frankie’s maturing feathers grew more quickly than anticipated.

“We just clip the wing. You clip one wing, and then obviously [for young birds] the feathers naturally fall out and new ones grow back. When they start growing back, they are in ‘blood quill’, so they have blood in the quill to grow the feather, so you have to be careful – you can’t cut them too early, or you’ll cut the blood quill.

“So she’s grown them out, and got a bit of lift, and then she’s gone out on the bit of wind we had last week.”

After she escaped the park, there were numerous sightings of her flying away.

“We had many spottings of her locally down here,” Mr Reynolds said. “Then some pictures came up and showed a flamingo in France. We’ve just had some new ones come in which are fantastic and we can definitely see the wing that we clipped, so we can definitely 100 per cent identify it as being Frankie.”

Despite being “devastated” that she is gone, Mr Reynolds said it looks like she won’t be coming back unless she decides to fly home herself.

“The logistics of getting her back here would just be a non-starter,” he said. “Firstly you’ve got to catch her in France. Secondly we’d have to get the French to allow her to be taken into a quarantine facility and quarantined for 30 days. Then you’d have to get export permits and import permits, health certificates, quarantine her [in the UK] for 30 days and then when she’d got back to the park, after the external quarantine, it’s another 30 days quarantine here.

“She’s now classed as a wild bird, and with the bird flu situation at the moment, will the French allow all that? We don’t think they will. If there was a chance we could do it, then yes, we would try.

“If she flew back to England it’d be easier,” he said, adding that chances of that happening were “slim, because she’s heading south, doing what she naturally would have done”.

“I am upset personally and all of our team are upset about it. We’re not giving up on her and we’re still asking for photographs, so we can see what’s going on.”

Keira Knightley stars in Waitrose’s Christmas ‘mini romcom’ ad

Waitrose has launched its Christmas campaign with an ambitious four-minute romantic comedy, featuring acclaimed actress Keira Knightley and comedian and Celebrity Traitors star Joe Wilkinson in a festive tale of culinary connection.

Directed by Bafta-winning Molly Manners, the advert charts the blossoming relationship between Knightley and Wilkinson’s characters, united by their shared passion for food.

The ad begins as they meet for the first time at a Waitrose cheese counter, and culminates with Wilkinson – who reprises his role as Phil, from the grocer’s 2024 “whodunnit” festive campaign – recreating Keira’s Nan’s turkey pie recipe.

Knightley expressed her enthusiasm for the project, stating: “I love food, and so when I received this script where I get to fall head over heels in love over a shared love of cheese, I couldn’t turn it down. I adored working on this silly, fun and delicious film with Joe, and I hope those watching it fall in love too.”

Wilkinson, known for his comedic timing, added: “It was great to be back with Waitrose for their 2025 Christmas campaign. This year, Phil got to enjoy both the love and the food he truly deserved. As you can imagine, it was tough having to eat the delicious Waitrose food and falling in love with Keira, but I just got on with it, like the trooper I am.”

The advert’s soundtrack features the track “She’s A Star” by the British band James.

Nathan Ansell, Waitrose chief customer officer, highlighted the unique nature of the campaign: “Our four-minute Christmas film – an industry first – pays homage to the seasonal romantic comedy tradition, celebrates the exciting and elevated Waitrose festive food offering, and adds a little more of that warm, fuzzy feeling to the holiday season.”

Director Molly Manners also shared her experience: “We had such a great time making the perfect miniature romcom with food as a love language deep at its heart. The combination of Keira Knightley and Joe Wilkinson is magical in such an unexpected way. I hope they knock your socks clean off, as they did mine.”

Waitrose’s 2024 two-parter Christmas campaign was entitled “Sweet Suspicion, A Waitrose Mystery” with a cast including Matthew Macfadyen of Succession, Rakhee Thakrar of Sex Education, Sian Clifford from Fleabag, Dustin Demri-Burns of Slow Horses, Eryl Maynard of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple and Wilkinson.

From cuisine and culture to history and nature, find the ideal cruise

If you want to see the world from a fresh perspective, then taking to the water is a great way to do it. Not only can travelling by ship  take you to far flung corners of the globe, it can also show you a different side of your favourite destinations and provide some unique experiences, from spotting rare wildlife and glancing remote landscapes to seeing iconic sights from a whole new viewpoint. From epic adventures exploring Antarctica or uninhabited archipelagos in the South Pacific, to itineraries taking the cultural capitals of Europe or sampling the cuisine of South East Asia, there’s a trip for everyone, whatever your passion or wherever you’d like to go.

Combining a cruise with carefully curated time on land gives you the best of both worlds. Audley cruise offerings are tailor made, with the land and water elements of your trip meticulously planned to create a bespoke itinerary that’s as relaxing or as adventure packed as you wish. Audley’s cruise experts will listen to what your dream trip looks like and help you pick the best route, ship and experiences to bring it to life. They work with a range of cruise partners, hand picking vessels for their facilities, service, onboard activities and the experiences they offer in port, so you’ll enjoy the journey just as much as the destination.

Each Audley trip is tailor-made to the traveller – but if you need some inspiration, here’s a taste of the adventures you can experience.

A cruise can offer immersive cultural experiences, from learning about a country’s centuries old traditions to touring cities with world-class galleries and museums. One of the benefits of a cruise is that you can explore multiple stops, giving you plenty of time to take in each destination and tailor the trip to your specific interests.

“For example, a 24 day cruise around Japan visits 10 different ports,” says Audley cruise specialist Caroline. “In the city of Sakaiminato, you can explore the artistry of Japan with a guided visit that takes in both the Adachi Museum of Art and the Yushien Garden. The museum provides a deep dive into Japan’s contemporary art before you head to a nearby island to explore the exuberant peony beds at Yushien. The garden is most spectacular in the spring, but carefully timed plantings mean you’ll always see many of the 250 types of peonies in gloriously full bloom.”

Or how about exploring the art cities of Italy in the largest five-masted, full-rigged sailing ship in the world – a romantic call-back to the golden age of sailing? You’ll enjoy personal tours of the Colosseum and Sistine Chapel in Rome, explore Florence’s Renaissance heritage and discover hidden haunts in Venice.

Audley can make sure your time at sea is just as enriching, with ships that include a variety of experiences and activities to choose from – from expert talks and lectures on subjects like art history, archaeology and local wildlife to art classes like watercolour painting to glassblowing.

With cruises covering all seven continents, and many featuring unique culinary experiences, there’s plenty of trips to tickle the tastebuds of foodies. Wine lovers will enjoy a river cruise of Portugal’s Douro region that takes in port houses in the vibrant city of Porto and stops at vineyards along the picturesque Douro Valley. You’ll enjoy a traditional home cooked meal at a quinta (country house), visit Mateus Palace and Gardens — home of the famous rosé wine – and finish the trip in Madrid, sampling the local tapas.

On a Bali to Bangkok trip you can check out the Indonesian street-food scene, trying delicacies such as Java’s rawon (a black beef soup) and Bangkok’s drunken noodles. In Singapore, watch locals haggle for seafood and spices in the markets and try a Singapore Sling in the very place they were invented: Raffles’ Long Bar.

Wherever you’re heading, the options are just as tasty on board the ship. “The larger and medium-sized cruises we’ve chosen to work with always offer a variety of dining options,” explains  Audley cruise specialist Franki. “With usually at least one buffet-style restaurant, and also usually at least a couple of specialty restaurants, such as trattorias or steakhouses. Audley hand-picks the best vessels with some also offering cooking demonstrations and wine tasting.

From experiencing the world’s wildest and most remote landscapes to spotting rare species, travelling by water offers one-of-a-kind adventures for nature lovers. “No other type of voyage gets you as close to unpeopled landscapes or feeds your curiosity about the world’s wildlife and habitats as expedition cruises,” says Audley cruise specialist Caroline, “Wherever you are, expedition leaders will help root you in your destination, pointing out intriguing features and what to look for.”

There’s also plenty of expert knowledge you can tap into onboard, as Audley cruise specialist Jon explains. “Many of our polar expedition cruises are accompanied by leading researchers who can enlighten you on the icy formations and distinctive wildlife you sail past. Some ships also feature onboard helicopters, offering you the chance to follow the flight paths of Arctic birds and get a rare glimpse of this pristine landscape from the air.”

In the Galapagos Islands, for example, Audley’s Luxury Ecuador and Galapagos tour includes a seven night expedition around the islands where you’ll come face to face with countless incredible species from iguanas, penguins and albatross to sea lions, sea turtles and sharks. The trip also includes a stay in a luxury lodge in the Ecuadorian cloudforest, surrounded by 400 types of wildlife.

A cruise is also the ideal way to discover the landscapes of Alaska. You’ll sail down through fjords, past glaciers and waterfalls – with the option to kayak to the places your cruise ship can’t reach. You might spot otters, seals, sea lions, porpoises, and even orca whales in the water or, on shore, moose, mountain goats and wolves. At the end of the cruise, there’s a stay in Great Bear Rainforest on Berry Island, a haven for bears, whales, marine mammals and birds.

With knowledgeable local experts on hand across the globe, Audley cruises allow you to delve into the history of a destination. A cruise of Croatia’s cities and coasts offers all the spectacular scenery you’d expect – but also give you the chance to walk Dubrovnik’s UNESCO-protected walled city with an expert guide, explore the medieval streets of Šibenik and visit a working 13th century monastery on the island of Visovak.

If you like your history to be ancient, try a luxury river cruise along the Nile, with an exclusive private tour of the pyramids of Giza, Saqqara and Dahshur, and visits to other significant sites including ancient tombs in the Luxor Valley of the Kings and the Temple of Horus, all with an expert local guide ensuring you get the most out of the experience.

With Audley, experiences on land are carefully planned to fit seamlessly with your cruise. “As your trip takes shape, I’ll take care of every aspect of your voyage.” says Audley cruise specialist Steph. “If I need to, I’ll call on the expertise of our most experienced destination-specific specialists to help you make the most of your time – wherever you’d like to go.”

Fellow Audley cruise specialist Jon adds: “Some trips span vast geographical routes, jumping between a myriad of countries that are often challenging to link in one trip. That involves a lot of moving parts, but your specialist will take care of all the logistics so you can focus on getting the most out of your time on land and water.”

With all the organising in hand, you’ll have plenty of time to soak everything in before you set sail again to continue your dream journey.

Audley offer bespoke land-and-sea cruises that you can tailor to your personal travel passions. To find out more and start planning your trip, visit Audley

Could Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s name be changed again?

He has been stripped of his titles and forced to leave his 30-room mansion in Windsor, but disgraced member of the royal family Andrew Mountbatten Windsor may be given something new by Buckingham Palace – a hyphen in his name.

This would change it to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and bring the double-barrelled surname in line with how it was first used by the Queen, and how it is usually formulated by his relatives.

When the palace announced that Andrew would no longer hold the title of “Prince” or “His Royal Highness” in the wake of further revelations about his connections with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, and the publication of a damning book by Virginia Giuffre, it gave his name as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, with no hyphen – a decision that was reportedly agreed with Andrew himself.

But The Independent understands the palace is now considering reinstating the usual hyphen, which is how his late mother styled the double-barrelled name when it was introduced.

It was immediately prior to Andrew’s birth that the surname Mountbatten-Windsor was created. Though he is the third of Elizabeth’s four children, Andrew was the first to be born after her accession to the throne – when the official royal family name, Windsor, was still in use. This meant that as her husband, Prince Philip had to give up his surname.

The style change was announced two weeks before Andrew was born, and it is recognised as having been created largely to accommodate Prince Philip’s surname – Mountbatten – within the family, after he expressed frustration that he was “the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his children”. In the now famous rant to his friends, he added: “I’m nothing but a bloody amoeba.”

In a lengthy proclamation in The London Gazette in February 1960, a notice by Elizabeth was published, stating her last-minute changes. It said: “My Lords, Whereas on the 9th day of April 1952, I did declare My Will and Pleasure that I and My children shall be styled and known as of the House and Family of Windsor, and that my descendants other than female descendants who marry and their descendants, shall bear the name of Windsor:

“And whereas I have given further consideration to the position of those of My descendants who will enjoy neither the style, title or attribute of Royal Highness, nor the titular dignity of Prince, and for whom therefore a surname will be necessary:

“And whereas I have concluded that the Declaration made by Me on the 9th day of April 1952, should be varied in its application to such persons:

“Now therefore I declare My Will and Pleasure that, while I and My children shall continue to be styled and known as the House and Family of Windsor, My descendants other than descendants enjoying the style, title or attribute of royal highness and the titular dignity of Prince or Princess and female descendants who marry and their descendants shall bear the name of Mountbatten-Windsor.”

Now, historians have suggested that the disgraced royal ought to be styled Mountbatten-Windsor, with a hyphen, to maintain tradition.

Andrew Lownie, historian and author of Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, told The Independent: “It is strange that the former Prince Andrew wished – and was allowed – to drop the hyphen, as the family name is Mountbatten-Windsor. Indeed, under the 1960 Privy Council Declaration, he was the first royal baby to take that name, and other royals have adopted that format.”

Lownie noted that this includes “Princess Anne on her 1973 marriage certificate and Prince Harry’s son Archie on his 2019 birth certificate.”

He added: “My own view is that a correction will be made.”

Ian Lloyd, a royal historian and author, said: “I was quite surprised when the palace statement came out giving Andrew’s name without a hyphen, given the historic precedent for one.

“Despite everything that has gone on, I expect that Prince Philip might at least be pleased to know that the Mountbatten name lives on,” he suggested to The Times.

Three prisoners released by mistake every week since April, new figures show

Three prisoners who were wrongly released in England and Wales remain on the run and are being sought by police, David Lammy has confirmed.

A total of 91 prisoners have been freed by mistake between 1 April and 31 October this year – the equivalent of around three per week, according to the latest Ministry of Justice figures published on Tuesday.

Downing Street admitted the figures are “shocking”, and said they are “symptomatic of a system that the government inherited” from the Conservatives.

Justice secretary Mr Lammy told MPs on Tuesday that none of the three that are currently at large are convicted sex offenders. It comes as the government faces mounting pressure over a series of high-profile releases, including that of Epping sex offender Hadush Kebatu.

In the following weeks, an Algerian sex offender and a fraudster from HMP Wandsworth were also accidentally freed, sparking a double manhunt.

Some 262 inmates were mistakenly let out in the year to March 2025 – a 128 per cent increase on the 115 in the previous 12 months, government figures also show.

Of that figure, 87 were of offenders whose main offence was violence against a person, and three whose main offence was a sexual offence

Releases in error can include misplaced warrants for imprisonment or remand, sentence miscalculations or can be a result of mistakes by courts or other authorities, the Ministry of Justice said.

Mr Lammy also defended his decision not to directly answer the Conservatives’ questions on the issue during last week’s Prime Minister’s Questions, stating he had not yet been informed if one of those released had been an asylum seeker.

“Given the nature of the opposition’s question, I made a judgement that I would wait until I had all the detail, rather than risk giving an accurate or incomplete or misleading picture to the House about a sensitive case,” he said.

He added that he had also offered an “unequivocal apology” to victims whose perpetrators had been released in error.

Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said the accidental releases of Kebatu and the two prisoners that sparked manhunts were “just the tip of the iceberg”, and that the British public deserved to have the “full picture”.

Mr Lammy admitted on Friday that there is a “mountain to climb” to tackle the crisis in the prison system.

Prisons minister James Timpson said on Monday there is “no quick fix” to releases in error, and it is “going to take time to get it right”.

A spokesperson for No 10 said: “These numbers, they are symptomatic of a system that the government inherited, of a prison system under severe strain, a failing criminal justice system.

“As we’ve set out previously, the government inherited a [situation] where the male prison estate was running at 99 per cent capacity. That risks the potential breakdown of law and order.

“The public are right to be shocked by these cases. While they are rare, they have been rising year-on-year from an average of nine per month in 2023 to 17 per month the next year.

“And we’re clear that you can’t fix the prisons crisis overnight, but we have taken immediate action, including tougher new release checks, calling in prison governors, sending in tech experts.”

Ethiopian national Kebatu has since been deported, while Algerian national Brahim Kaddour-Cherif was arrested on Friday and is understood to be in the process of being deported.

Kaddour-Cherif was serving a sentence for trespass with intent to steal, but had previously been convicted for indecent exposure.

Billy Smith, who was also accidentally freed from Wandsworth on Monday – after having been sentenced to 45 months for multiple fraud offences, handed himself back in on Thursday.

Stronger security checks were announced for prisons and an independent investigation was launched into releases in error after Kebatu was freed from HMP Chelmsford on 24 October.

Kebatu had been sentenced to 12 months in custody in September for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman, sparking a month of protests outside asylum seeker hotels across the UK.

Over the weekend, it was reported that a total of four such offenders had been released in error, with two released in June this year, and two in 2024.

On Monday, sources within the government suggested that one of these had been returned to custody.