Full Breakdown
Bernadin Dedic’s Erroneous Release and Flight: A Justice System Failure
6/10/2026, 10:43:24 PM
Mistaken Release from HMP Wormwood Scrubs
On 6 February 2024, Bernadin Dedic, a 48-year-old Bosnian businessman residing in Ealing, was mistakenly released from HMP Wormwood Scrubs after a court official incorrectly recorded that he had been granted bail. The error was a clerical mix-up. Within hours Dedic travelled on the Eurostar to Bosnia, using his Bosnian passport after his UK passport had been seized.
Timeline of Key Events
- 6 Feb 2024 – Dedic released erroneously; departs for Bosnia.
- Mar 2024 – Trial at Isleworth Crown Court delayed after Dedic claimed a knee injury from a skiing accident.
- Jun 2024 – Dedic again fails to appear, alleging a heart attack in Sarajevo; judge proceeds with trial in his absence.
- Later Jun 2024 – Jury convicts Dedic on all nine counts; sentencing pending extradition.
Charges, Crime Details and Conviction
Dedic faced four counts of rape, two of sexual assault by penetration, one of non-consensual sexual activity, one of threatening with a knife, and one of making a threat to kill. Prosecutor Simon Sanford said Dedic, after drinking up to four bottles of red wine and snorting cocaine, lured a woman to his basement, cut her sports bra and top with a red-handled kitchen knife, forced her to strip, and repeatedly threatened to kill her and himself. The jury returned guilty verdicts on all nine charges despite his absence.
Judicial and Institutional Responses
Judge Martin Edmunds KC called the release “extremely rare” and ordered a full investigation. Judge Hannah Duncan doubted Dedic’s claimed heart attack, noting normal heart-rate readings and labeling his conduct an attempt to “obstruct, manipulate and avoid justice.” HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) announced an internal inquiry, saying the incident exposed “deep-rooted issues across the broken justice system the Government inherited.”
Criticism of Systemic Errors
Legal commentators and the judges warned that administrative oversights can let serious offenders evade accountability, undermining public confidence in the criminal-justice system.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Judge Hannah Duncan noted that medical tests showed a normal heart rate, contradicting Dedic’s claim of a heart attack in Sarajevo.
Implications and Next Steps
If Dedic does not return, UK authorities will seek extradition to enforce a lengthy custodial sentence. The HMCTS inquiry will review bail-recording procedures and recommend safeguards.
Verbatim Quotes
- “When downstairs, she turned towards the stairs and saw him, holding a red-handled oriental kitchen knife” — Simon Sanford, Prosecutor
- “He stepped towards her, took hold of her and said he would kill her and then kill himself.” — Simon Sanford, Prosecutor
- “This is yet another attempt by Mr Dedic to obstruct, manipulate and avoid justice,” — Judge Hannah Duncan
- “Although such errors are extremely rare, and indeed this is the only instance I am aware of when there has been an erroneous release of a prisoner held in custody to this court, we take this error extremely seriously. We will fully investigate how it occurred and what steps can be put in place to prevent it occurring again.” — Judge Martin Edmunds KC
