'He could be anywhere!' Ex-Met officer issues spine-tingling warning after Algerian sex attacker mistakenly released

The registered sex offender is now centre stage of a national manhunt after he was handed a six-day headstart.

In November 2024, the convict was found guilty of indencent exposure linked to an incident in March earlier that year, and was subsequently slapped with an 18-month community order.

"That's such a long time period for someone to have a head start when you're then looking for them," former officer Graham Wettone told GB News' Martin Daubney.

He continued: "The phrase 'manhunt' takes on a different context than when you're spending six days playing catch up.

"I have no idea why it's taken that long for the prison authorities to let the police know," he commenting, adding that it has become a "huge task" for policing.

"He could be anywhere in the country or even fled the country by now," he warned.

Armed with extensive insider knowledge from his time in the police force, Mr Wettone told Martin that when someone is alerted to the police as released mistakenly or has escaped, their details can be placed onto a national database.

"So you can almost put a stop on them being able to travel that far afield," he explained.

"The police will be doing their best, gathering information from the prison authorities, looking at data as of when he was arrested, addresses, visits, that sort of thing that's gone on," he detailed.

He further added that oficials will try and check addresses that they are known to be linked with the offender, reiterating that it was a huge task for the police.

Martin asked why the officials had only released the name of the mistakenly-released man for several hours before releasing his mugshot.

In response, Mr Wettone explained that it generally depends on the risk to the public, including previous convictions and whether they have any images of "reasonably likeness" to release.

He added: "Police services across the country could have endless sightings of him from there, from Scotland down to Land's End.

"So it is a huge task and you have to balance that with the information you've got and whether the police are reliable or able to locate him in a reasonable period of time.

Before the release of the Algerian's mugshot later this afternoon, Mr Wettone forecast that the police will require the public's help, with more eyes to help locate the convict.

"There will come a point where the balance then is we actually need the public's help with there, as you said, as it is the eyes open to look for him.

"But you also need a likeness, a decent likeness. So depending how long those convicted was, the custody image, is that a relevant likeness to what he is now? Because people change their appearance in custody."

Commander Paul Trevers, who is in charge of the manhunt, has said: "It is just over 24 hours since we were informed of Cherif's release.

"We launched an immediate manhunt and urgent enquiries have been ongoing since."

Cherif has had a six-day head start, but we are working urgently to close the gap and establish his whereabouts."We will continue to use all the means at our disposal but we are also appealing for the public's help to find him. We have seen in the very recent past how important alert members of the public reporting sightings can be.

"To assist with that effort we have released an image of Cherif and bodyworn video footage from an arrest in September this year."

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