Dad of girl, 14, attacked by Hadush Kebatu hits out at ‘irresponsible’ justice system
A sex offender’s mistaken release from prison caused “a lot of stress and anxiety” for his young victim, his father said, condemning the mistake as “incredibly irresponsible”.
Hadush Kebatu, who was sentenced to a year in prison for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in September, was mistakenly released from HMP Chelmsford instead of an immigration detention center on Friday morning.
The migrant, who was based at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, at the time of the attack, traveled from Chelmsford to London before being arrested in Finsbury Park on Sunday morning.
In a statement read by independent councilor Shane Yerrel epping Forest District Council (EFDC), the victim’s father, said his traumatized daughter was slowly gaining his trust after the events.
“Friday’s news caused him a lot of stress and anxiety,” he said.
“She was afraid of seeing him on the main road again and of him recognizing her. “I really worry for my daughter’s mental health and well-being because of this attack.
“This man is a real danger to young women and children; it is incredibly irresponsible for him to be mistakenly released on Friday, due to system failure, just four months after committing two sexual assaults, and just five weeks after he was sentenced, and to walk free on the streets.”
Hadush Kebatu’s young victim was said to be ‘stressed and anxious’ after being accidentally released (Metropolitan Police/PA) (Metropolitan Police)
He said the whole family felt “hugely let down and outraged” by the prison, the police, the justice system and the Government.
“They all failed, they failed not only us as a family but everyone in the country,” the father said.
“I had to find out from a reporter that the person who attacked my daughter had been accidentally released that day, after which I was sent photos and videos of the police wandering around throughout the day without alerting her mother.
“Then when I went to HMP Chelmsford later that day to seek some answers I was greeted with hostility and anything I said or asked was completely ignored, me and my family were completely disrespected.”
Expressing his hope that Kebatu would be deported “immediately”, the father also said he feared the sex offender would harm someone else.
“If something had happened to another child or woman it would have happened to HMP Chelmsford as well as the police, the justice system and those in our charge. workforce “The government,” he said.
The Department of Justice has been contacted for comment.
The Bell Hotel, where Kebatu lived before his conviction, became the focus of demonstrations and counter-protests in the summer following the charges against him, which eventually led to demonstrations outside hotels housing asylum seekers across the country.
A group of around 60 protesters holding union and St George flags gathered outside the building. essex Hotel on Sunday evening.
The Bell Hotel became the focus of demonstrations and counter-protests throughout the summer (Lucy North/PA) (PA)
The hotel is at the center of an ongoing process. Supreme Court The battle between EFDC and Bell owner Somani Hotels.
The council is currently waiting to find out whether it has been successful in its bid. Supreme Court measure that prevents asylum seekers from being accommodated there.
EFDC filed a lawsuit claiming that housing asylum seekers there was against planning rules, and the company opposed the request.
Home Office He intervened in the case, telling the court the council’s proposal had been “misunderstood”.
The Bell has been used to house single adult men since April and Home Office lawyers told the court it now houses around 95 people.
It first housed asylum seekers from May 2020 to March 2021, and housed single adult males from October 2022 to April 2024; The council did not take any enforcement measures.
The EFDC was granted an interim injunction in mid-August, but this was overturned in the Court of Appeal later that month.
