Manhunt for Epping hotel migrant sex attacker after he’s accidentally FREED from prison instead of being deported

A manhunt is underway after a hotel migrant who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl in Epping was mistakenly released from prison.

Hadush Kebatu, 41, was accidentally released from HMP Chelmsford this morning, a Ministry of Justice official told the Daily Mail.

The sex offender had to be transferred from prison to a Home Office immigration removal center for deportation.

Police have now launched a massive search to find him.

A senior justice source described the error as the ‘mother of all failures’ and said it was due to human error.

It is understood that a prison officer has been suspended while the urgent investigation continues.

The blunder came as Sir Keir Starmer was accused of failing the country on immigration with his ‘one in, one out’ policy after a migrant who had previously been deported under the scheme returned to the UK on a small boat.

The Daily Mail understands Kebatu, who is serving a one-year prison sentence for sexual assault, is due to be deported from the UK soon.

Criminals to be deported are normally transported directly to an immigration removal center in a secure prison van.

Ethiopian national Kebatu (pictured) tried to kiss a female student before touching a woman who came to his aid in a series of crimes in July.

Mr Kebatu is pictured in a court sketch from 26 August before his conviction – he was sentenced to 12 months in prison

It remains unclear why Kebatu was allowed to leave prison rather than being placed in a secure vehicle.

David Lammy said he was ‘appalled’ by the latest mistake, adding that the convicted sex attacker ‘should be deported for his crimes, not onto our streets’.

Meanwhile, Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said the ‘ugly’ debacle was a ‘national shame’.

‘The Hadush Kebatu case is an example of how the British state consistently fails the British people,’ a leading Conservative Party figure said.

‘It’s outrageous that victims are failed like this. The whole saga is a national embarrassment. ‘He should have boarded the plane from the UK a long time ago.’

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp added: ‘A dangerous convicted pedophile who attacked a 14-year-old girl has been allowed back on our streets. He should have been deported immediately.

‘But this government has no backbone. Whether it is the return of an immigrant to the UK or record arrivals into the UK, this week has been a failure of the Home Office and the Home Secretary.

‘Only the Conservative Party has a serious, hard-edged plan to create stronger borders.’

A Prison Service spokesman said: ‘We are working urgently with the police to take an offender back into custody after he was mistakenly released from HMP Chelmsford.

‘The protection of the public is our top priority and we have launched an investigation into this incident.’

Kebatu was sentenced to 12 months in prison last month for sexually assaulting a female student and a woman who tried to intervene.

After being jailed on September 23, he was in prison for just four weeks before being released today.

Kebatu’s arrest sparked a wave of anti-immigrant protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers across the country this summer, including outside the Bell Hotel where he was staying (pictured)

Kebatu sexually assaulted the schoolgirl just eight days after arriving on a small boat (Image: Asylum seekers disembarked at Dover on October 8)

Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court heard the Ethiopian national acted ‘ignorantly and disgustingly’ when he sexually assaulted the schoolgirl and another woman just eight days after arriving in the country on a small boat.

Kebatu got excited as he put his hand on the girl’s hips and caressed her hair, even though he knew she was ‘only 14 years old’.

He also said he wanted to marry her and have children with her and invited her to The Bell Hotel in Epping, where he was staying.

The immigrant, who was a ‘sports teacher’ in his home country, then tried to kiss a woman who tried to intervene, then put his hand on her leg and told her she was beautiful.

After attacking the schoolgirl, Kebatu was chased to The Bell Hotel by his adult victim, who called the police.

Kebatu denied three charges of sexual assault, one of attempted sexual assault, a harassment charge and the other of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, but was convicted of all charges at trial.

The crimes took place on July 7 and 8 this year.

District Judge Christopher Williams said his “disgusting and sickening” behavior, which sparked a massive anti-immigrant demonstration in Epping, Essex, highlighted “what a poor approach you have towards women”.

The court heard the migrant ‘showed no remorse’.

Kebatu, who the court heard tried to commit suicide while in custody, showed no signs of emotion as his sentence was announced.

He was sentenced to 12 months in prison, made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and told to sign the sex offenders register. He was also told to pay £650 in court costs, but is now wandering the streets of Britain.

Kebatu’s arrest sparked a wave of anti-immigrant protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers across the country this summer.

In response, the Prime Minister recently announced a new ‘one in, one out’ deal with France that will allow the UK to send migrants back to the European country in exchange for genuine asylum seekers.

But the plan hit a snag this week when it emerged that a migrant deported to France had been seen making a second journey across the Channel back to the UK.

The Prime Minister insisted that the man be quickly extradited back to France.

Speaking to ITV Meridian during his visit to Peacehaven this morning, the Prime Minister said: ‘The person who returned is already in custody. He will now be quickly deported out of the country because we obviously have his details.

‘We know he doesn’t have a claim, so we’re going to eliminate him very, very quickly. So the journey back to the UK is completely pointless and it’s really important that I make that clear.’

Pressed on whether the government’s approach to stopping small boats was ‘messy’, Sir Keir said ‘no’.