Deported migrant sex offender given £500 to leave UK

An immigrant sex offender who was mistakenly released from prison in a major mistake was paid £500 to leave the UK, it has been revealed.

Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood said she shared public anger over Hadush Kebatu’s release and was “trying every means” to remove him from British territory; but said revelations about cash payments were likely to spark further anger

Kebatu, who was forcibly deported to Ethiopia on Tuesday night, is understood to have been paid £500 after threatening to prevent his deportation.

The Ethiopian national was mistakenly released from HMP Chelmsford on Friday morning rather than being sent to an immigration detention centre, triggering a two-day manhunt.

comes later Independent In June it was revealed that Britain had paid £53 million to migrants to leave the country in the last four years.

Under the voluntary repatriation scheme run by the government, migrants can receive up to £3,000 as an incentive to return to their home country as part of what is known as “supported repatriation”. Flight fees are also paid as part of the agreement.

It is understood that the decision to pay Kebatu was made by the suspension teams, not the ministers.

Home Office sources said the alternative was “a slower and more expensive process that would involve detention, a new flight and potentially dealing with subsequent legal claims”.

“The cost of canceling the flight alone reaches several thousand pounds,” they added.

On Wednesday morning, Border Security Minister Alex Norris could not confirm whether Kebatu received cash payment to return to Ethiopia.

He told Good Morning Britain: “I can’t tell you about the cash. I know he asked for it early in the process and was turned down… Sometimes we do it to make removal easier because it saves taxpayers money, but in this case I can’t say that.”

Asked whether he knew the answer to whether thousands of pounds had been paid, Mr Norris said: “You would know that ministers are not involved in overnight operational movements.

“Thousands of pounds, I can’t accept that description; it’s not something that happens routinely.”

While living at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, Kebatu sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl and a woman, sparking a wave of protests outside the asylum seekers’ accommodation.

Following the error, prisons were told to introduce a series of enhanced checks before prisoners were released, while an independent investigation was launched to determine what went wrong.

Ms Mahmood said: “Last week’s blunder should never have happened and I share the public outrage about it. I would like to thank the police for quickly detaining Mr Kebatu and the public for their sensitivity.

“I have used every means to deport Mr Kebatu and remove him from British territory. I am pleased to confirm that this despicable child sex offender has been deported. Our streets are safer because of it.”

“If you come to this country and commit a crime, we will remove you.”

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said the incident was “unacceptable” and was the result of “human error”.

He added: “We need to get to the bottom of what happened.”