Wrongly released Epping sex attack migrant claims he tried to hand himself in to police – but they ignored him
Epping migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu claimed he told police he was a ‘wanted man’ and tried to surrender, but officers ignored him.
Kebatu was mistakenly released from HMP Chelmsford on Friday, four weeks after he was convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman while staying in an asylum seeker hotel in Essex.
He was awaiting transfer to an immigration detention center before his scheduled deportation back to Ethiopia, but incompetent prison staff released him instead.
In his first interview after returning home, the 38-year-old insisted he took various measures to return to prison; but this is something the police dispute.
Kebatu told Sky News: ‘I will call the police on Saturday. Police wanted, man, I arrested you, I’m giving you my hand (just like that).
‘Please help me, where is the police station? ‘He ignored me, he’s driving (sic)’
Claiming that he approached the police officers, Kebatu stated that he was released by mistake and said to them: ‘You know me, my image. I am Hadush Kebatu – I am an Ethiopian citizen – please, I am the one to release the mistake, please help me (sic).’
The Metropolitan Police disputed Kebatu’s claims, saying there was “no evidence” that he contacted officers on Saturday morning.
Police said in a statement: ‘Kebatu’s actions on the morning of his arrest appeared more like someone trying to escape from the police and not turning himself in.’
Yesterday it emerged that Kebatu, who had threatened to disrupt the flight, was paid £500 to expedite his deportation to Ethiopia.
Kebatu claimed that he contacted police officers and explained that he had been released by mistake
The moment Kebatu (second from left) was arrested by Met Police officers in Finsbury Park, north London
The debacle has left Labor facing new questions about its handling of the immigration crisis.
Kebatu was given a ‘discretionary’ payment of £500 by Home Office officials Sources said it was due to threats to ‘disrupt’ the transport flight.
Although it was heard at his first hearing that he had a ‘definite desire’ to return to Ethiopia, it appears that his compliance with immigration authorities was disrupted yesterday.
He threatened to launch a legal challenge against his deportation and even said he was considering making a new asylum claim with the Home Office.
Stating that he would leave quietly in exchange for cash, Kebatu was forcibly deported from England by a team of five security guards.
Kebatu was supposed to be transferred to a deportation center last week, but unsuspecting prison officers repeatedly told him to leave and take a train to London instead.
Kebatu was arrested by Met Police officers in London’s Finsbury Park area at around 8.30am.
CCTV footage released by the Metropolitan Police (pictured) shows Hadush Kebatu in Dalston, London, on Friday night
Kebatu’s release sparked a nationwide manhunt until he was finally captured after fleeing for three days.
On the day of his release, he was filmed speaking to members of the public in Chelmsford town center before boarding the 12.41am train to Stratford, east London.
CCTV showed Kebatu in the Dalston area of Hackney just before 8pm on Friday evening.
He was also picked up from a library in Dalston Square about two hours earlier, wearing a prison gray tracksuit and carrying a white tote bag containing an avocado.
His movements on Saturday are unclear but the Met Police confirmed he was finally captured in Finsbury Park on Sunday morning.
In the photo of his arrest, Kebatu, who had access to money, is seen wearing jeans, a puffer jacket and a hood over his head, having managed to change into his prison tracksuit. The footage shows him being put into the back of a police van.
It comes amid a backlash against efforts to tackle illegal immigration, as a man deported under France’s ‘one in, one out’ scheme re-crossed the Channel on a small boat and landed on British shores.
Conservative MP for Epping Forest, Neil Hudson, described Kebatu’s release as a “catastrophic mistake” that left the whole community “deeply upset, saddened and angry”, adding that “accountability must reach the highest level”.
Justice Minister and Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy confirmed yesterday that an independent investigation would be opened and blamed ‘human error’ as the cause of the error.
Conservative MP for Epping Forest, Neil Hudson, described Kebatu’s release as a “catastrophic mistake” that left the whole community “deeply upset, saddened and angry”, adding that “accountability must reach the highest level”.
