A convict, William Smith, also known as Billy, was mistakenly set free from prison due to a clerical error involving a mix-up of his sentence with another individual sharing the same surname.

Smith was handed a 45-month sentence for committing multiple fraud offenses at Croydon Crown Court. However, he was erroneously released because an incorrect sentence was entered into the system under his name. Law enforcement authorities are now actively searching for him to return him to custody.

During the court proceedings, Smith was tried alongside a co-defendant named Joseph Smith, who received a suspended sentence and was allowed to leave court freely. Meanwhile, Smith, who was remanded in HMP Wandsworth, received a custodial sentence through a video link.

The confusion arose when the sentences were inaccurately inputted into the digital system, leading to Smith being mistakenly given a suspended sentence when he should have been incarcerated. Despite attempts to rectify the error, Smith was released prematurely on Monday due to a further mistake in the notification process.

Surrey Police issued an appeal to locate the 35-year-old Smith, describing his attire at the time of his disappearance and noting his connections to Woking and Surrey. This incident occurred shortly after another inmate, Brahim Kaddour Cherif, an Algerian national, was also mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth, prompting an urgent search for his whereabouts.