Migrant sex offender released from prison in error arrested after manhunt
Epping hotel immigrant a person who is accidentally released from prison He will be deported “this week” after being recaptured on Sunday.
Hadush KebatuMistakenly released from HMP Chelmsford, he was arrested by Metropolitan Police officers in Finsbury Park, north London, on Sunday morning following a major manhunt.
Who is the refugee He sexually assaulted a woman and a 14-year-old girl, He was supposed to be sent to an immigration detention center for deportation, but was released by mistake on friday.
Essex Police said 41-year-old Kebatu boarded the London-bound Chelmsford train at 12.41am after the mistake.. He was later seen on CCTV at a library in Dalston Square, east London, at 6pm that evening as the Metropolitan Police took over the hunt.
On Sunday morning, Kebatu was spotted at the bus stop by a member of the public who called the police at 8.03am. He was arrested at 8:19 a.m. for being illegally at large.
On Monday, Justice Secretary David Lammy is expected to face questions in Parliament as he announces an independent investigation into what happened. He told broadcasters on Sunday: “This man should have been lined up for deportation and not released into the community, this shouldn’t have happened.”
Mr Lammy also said the migrant should be questioned by police before being deported, adding: “I can assure you that he will be deported because he is expected to be deported. I expect that to happen this week.”
Screenshot of video showing the arrest of Hadish Kebatu in the Finsbury Park area (Supplied)
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “We must make sure this doesn’t happen again.” The government is facing questions over this blunder.
In a statement on X/Twitter, he added: “Hadush Kebatu has been arrested and will be deported. Officers worked quickly and diligently to take him back into custody. We have ordered an investigation to establish what went wrong.”
Liberal Democrat Chelmsford MP Marie Goldman called for a swift national investigation into the incident, saying: “It is unacceptable that the safety of my constituents and the people of London is being put at risk.”
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said he was “shocked that this incompetent Labor government released him in the first place” and that Mr Lammy and Ms Mahmood had “questions to answer”.
Kebatu was arrested in Finsbury Park after he was spotted at a bus stop by a member of the public (PA)
A delivery driver described seeing Kebatu return to HMP Chelmsford “four or five times” in a “very confused” situation, only to be turned away by prison staff and directed to the train station.
While the investigation into the error continues, a prison officer has been suspended from duty to evacuate inmates.
In September Kebatu was sentenced to 12 months in prison and made the subject of a five-year sexual harm prevention order for five offences, with the judge warning he posed a “significant risk of re-offending”. He was also placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.
His crimes led to major protests and counter-protests in front of and eventually at The Bell Hotel in Epping, where he was staying. hosting refugees across the country.
Kebatu lived at the Bell Hotel in Epping before being jailed (PA)
The three-day hearing at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court heard he told two young men he wanted to “have a baby with each of them” and tried to kiss them. He then put his hand on one of the girls’ hips and caressed her hair during the July 7 incident.
It was revealed that Kebatu, an Ethiopian national who came to England on a small boat days ago, sexually assaulted a woman by trying to kiss her, placing his hand on her leg and telling her she was beautiful.
Sentencing Kebatu last month, a judge told him his behavior “really highlights what poor regard you have for women”.
CCTV showed Hadush Kebatu in a library in east London on Friday (Metropolitan Police)
Kebatu, who stated his date of birth as December 1986 through a translator in court, was 38 years old. But Essex Police said his records showed he was born in 1983, making him 41 years old.
Commander James Conway, who oversaw the manhunt, said: “This was a painstaking and fast-paced investigation carried out by specialist officers from the Metropolitan Police, supported by Essex Police and British Transport Police. I am extremely grateful to the public for their support following our appeal which helped us locate Mr Kebatu.”
