A migrant sex offender, Hadush Kebatu, who was wrongly released from prison has been deported from the UK and banned from returning.
He was jailed for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman in Epping, Essex, while living in a hotel asylum. Kebatu was accidentally released by prison staff on Friday, but was captured after a two-day manhunt.
The Interior Ministry confirmed that Kebatu was deported to Ethiopia on Tuesday night and arrived in Addis Ababa the next morning.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “Last week’s mistake should never have happened and I share the public’s anger at it. I have pulled all the levers to deport Mr Kebatu and remove him from British soil. I am pleased to confirm that this vile child sex offender has been deported. Our streets are safer because of it.”
Ethiopian police told the BBC that Kebatu was briefly detained at the airport before being released as “there was no legal basis for his continued detention,” according to Ethiopian Federal Police spokesperson Jaylan Abde.
He was supposed to be moved from HMP Chelmsford to an immigration detention center for deportation under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS) for foreign criminals. Instead, he was released by mistake, a situation Justice Secretary David Lammy described as “human error.”
By the time Essex Police were alerted, Kebatu had approached people in the city center for help and boarded a train to London. He was arrested in north London on Sunday morning following a tip-off from a member of the public near Finsbury Park station.
Home Secretary Alex Norris told BBC Breakfast that the situation “ended as it had to end”, adding:
“We accept this was a blunder. We are really angry about this, as I know the public are too.”
He said “strict” new controls had been introduced to prevent similar incidents and confirmed that an independent investigation, led by Dame Lynne Owens, would examine how Kebatu was mistakenly released. The investigation will also review staff training and interview Kebatu victims.
A prison officer has been suspended and no deportations will take place from HMP Chelmsford under the ERS this week.
Neil Hudson, MP for Epping Forest, said the local community would be “very relieved” to see Kebatu removed.
“No one wants to see our hometown as the main story on the news,” he said. “The events of the weekend have really brought things to the surface again. This is incredibly frustrating and the government needs to get a handle on it.”
Kebatu entered the UK crossing the English Channel in June 2024 after traveling through Sudan, Libya, Italy and France. His arrest in July sparked protests outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, which was used to house asylum seekers.
During his trial, the court heard that Kebatu had attempted to kiss and make explicit comments to a 14-year-old girl before attacking her and another woman the next day. He denied the charges but was found guilty of five offenses and sentenced to 12 months in prison.
Under the UK Border Act 2007, foreigners sentenced to one year or more in prison are subject to automatic deportation. During his trial, Kebatu reportedly said it was his “firm wish” to be deported.
(BBC News)
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