Father of girl assaulted by Bell Hotel migrant refuses to forgive | UK | News
According to Great Britain, the father of the young girl who was sexually assaulted by Ethiopian asylum seeker Hadush Kebatu met with Justice Minister David Lammy but refused to forgive him for the government’s failures.
The 41-year-old gunman was being held at the taxpayer-funded Bell Hotel in Epping and targeted a girl and a woman in separate incidents, sparking protests outside the migrant accommodation.
At Thursday’s meeting, the father, who cannot be named to protect his daughter’s privacy, revealed that he did not shake Mr Lammy’s hand.
While the father acknowledged that the Deputy Prime Minister had “earned” his respect by personally apologising, he made it clear that he had not forgiven him or the Labor Party for their shortcomings.
Kebatu found guilty of multiple sexual offenses after arriving by small boat
Kebatu, who entered England on a small boat just days before the attacks in June, was convicted of five offenses following a three-day trial at Chelmsford and Colchester Magistrates’ Court.
The court heard the former Ethiopian “sports teacher” told two teenagers he “wanted to have a baby with each of them” and tried to kiss one of the girls before groping her bottom and stroking her hair.
Speaking to ITV News, the father of one of the young victims expressed his disappointment: “I wouldn’t say he deserves to be forgiven. “He has earned my respect with the way he apologized today.
“There’s a lot to forgive, and I honestly don’t know if I can forgive this.”
He added, “I thought today would give me some kind of closure and a little clearer mind. But honestly, it didn’t. We didn’t really get any answers.”
Local councilor and family spokesman Shane Yerrel pressed Mr Lammy about the possibility of accelerating the closure of the Bell Hotel, despite the High Court rejecting the proposal.
Mr Yerrell said: “There was no mention of the Bell Hotel being closed any time soon. I asked if the contract was due to expire in March and I was not given a definitive answer. No yes or no.”
