Kidnapper released from prison by accident had boozy pub lunch before fleeing UK
Mr Justice Hayden blasted the delay, saying: ‘If the police had been contacted immediately, this could perhaps, almost certainly perhaps, have been prevented.
‘The public is entitled to expect far better than this.’
Adeyeye had previously been found to have abducted his son, Laurys N’Djosse Adeyeye, from France in July 2024 after the boy stayed overnight with him for the first time.
The court heard Laurys had lived with his mother, Claire N’Djosse, in France since birth before being taken via the UK to Nigeria.
Ms N’Djosse has not seen her son since.
In a legal first last year, Mr Justice Hayden ruled the High Court could order Adeyeye to return Laurys to France even though the child did not live in the UK.
When he ignored the order, Adeyeye was jailed for contempt of court in January.
(Picture: High Court/PA Wire)
He was due to be released in April, but on April 20 was handed another 12-month sentence for failing to return his son.
Despite that, prison staff released him the very next day after not being notified of the new sentance.
The judge described the child abduction as ‘an act of cruelty that even this court rarely sees’ and branded Adeyeye ‘arrogant and manipulative’ as well as ‘cold and calculated’.
Police told the court they were pursuing ‘all reasonable lines of enquiry’ Adeyeye entered Spain on April 22.
The Metropolitan Police said: ‘We recognise both the seriousness of this matter and how traumatic the present situation must be for both Ms N’Djosse and her son.’
The force said prison officials blamed a ‘communication failure’ with the court for the blunder — a claim the judge dismissed as ‘entirely groundless’.
Chris Bryden, representing Ms N’Djosse, said the state had failed the mother twice, by releasing Adeyeye and again by not immediately informing police.
The case comes after Ministry of Justice figures revealed 179 inmates were wrongly released between April 2025 and March 2026.
Data published by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) last month showed that 179 inmates were wrongly released between April 2025 and March 2026.
The issue was thrown into sharp focus after the mistaken release of Hadush Kebatu, who was jailed for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in Epping, Essex, which prompted a series of protests last year.
The issue previously sparked outrage following the mistaken release of convicted sex offender Hadush Kebatu, who was jailed for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in Essex
The MoJ has previously said that it was investing up to £82 million 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.’
