Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu manhunt live: Met Police takes over search for sex offender after London sighting | UK news
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Who is Hadush Kebatu?
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A former asylum seeker who was mistakenly released from prison after sexually assaulting a woman and a 14-year-old girl was spotted “in the London area” after officers worked overnight to track his movements, Essex police said.
Ethiopian national Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu In September he was sentenced to 12 months in prison for sexual assault and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for five years.
It turned out that the 41-year-old was planned to be sent to the immigration detention center for deportation, but was released by mistake.
Kebatu was found guilty last month on five charges of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl after attempting to kiss her twice, sexually assaulting a woman and trying to kiss her.
He committed the crimes just days after arriving in the UK on a small boat and checking into the Bell Hotel in Epping. His case triggered protests outside the hotel, which far-right activists attempted to exploit; It led to attacks on police officers and the arrest of 32 people.
At his hearing, district judge Christopher Williams said Kebatu posed a “significant risk of re-offending” and sentenced him to 12 months in prison.
The number of prisoners mistakenly released has more than doubled in a year, data shows
The number of prisoners mistakenly released has more than doubled by March 2025, government data shows.
A report by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) stated that 262 prisoners were mistakenly released from April 2024 to March 2025, compared to 115 by March 2024.
HMPPS said in the report that faulty discharges “remain infrequent” and that it believed the increase was linked to changes in the law and Labor’s early release scheme introduced in September 2024.
Met commander says finding Kebatu is top priority
Major James Conway of the Metropolitan Police said: Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu is a “top priority” for the force.
“The manhunt is being led by an experienced senior investigating officer. The police have teams from Specialist Crime Command specializing in tracking down wanted people and other resources from across the Met.
We’ve confirmed that Kebatu got off the London-bound train at Stratford station.
We examine CCTV from that area and further afield, including the transport network, to learn about their next movements.
We will provide further updates as we can, but hopefully the press and public will understand why providing detailed ongoing commentary would be useless to the effectiveness of the manhunt.
Anyone who sees Kebatu or has information on his whereabouts should call 999 immediately.
Met police take over manhunt for Kebatu
Metropolitan police take over manhunt for convicted sex offender Hadush Gerberslasie KebatuBecause there is a “high level of confidence” that the asylum seeker is in the London area.
Police said Kebatu, who was mistakenly released from HMP Chelmsford on Friday, boarded a train to London and got off at Stratford station.
As a result, the manhunt was handed over from Essex police to the Met shortly after 11.30am on Saturday.
