Migrant sex offender mistakenly released from prison deported to Ethiopia

A migrant sex offender who was mistakenly released from prison has been deported back to Ethiopia, the Government has announced.

Hadush Kebatu was flown back to his home country on Tuesday night and arrived on Wednesday morning with no right to return to Britain, the Home Office said.

The Ethiopian national had been wrongly freed from HMP Chelmsford on Friday morning instead of being sent to an immigration detention centre, triggering a two-day manhunt.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she shared the public’s anger over his release and had “pulled every lever” to remove Kebatu from British soil, but opposition MPs said his deportation did not excuse the fiasco.

Prisons have been told to start a series of enhanced checks before inmates are released following the blunder, while an independent inquiry has been announced to establish what went wrong.

A prison officer has been suspended while the probe is carried out.

Kebatu had been living at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, when he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl and a woman, sparking a wave of protests outside the accommodation used to house asylum seekers.

Ms Mahmood said: “Last week’s blunder should never have happened, and I share the public’s anger that it did. I would like to thank the police for rapidly bringing Mr Kebatu into custody and the public for their vigilance.

“I have pulled every lever to deport Mr Kebatu and remove him off British soil. I am pleased to confirm this vile child sex offender has been deported. Our streets are safer because of it.

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

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said the incident was “unacceptable” and appeared to have been a result of “human error”.

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

Liberal Democrat MP for Chelmsford Marie Goldman said the wrongful release had been “hugely damaging to public trust”.

She said: “Whilst I am relieved that this saga is over and Hadush Kebatu has finally been deported, this doesn’t excuse the catastrophic failures that led to this point.

“It is utterly unacceptable that public safety was put at risk. This was a grave mistake, and my constituents now deserve a full answer as to how such a serious failure was allowed to happen.

“The findings of the independent investigation into what happened must not be brushed aside. This has been hugely damaging to public trust. We cannot afford another blunder on such a scale.”

Tory MP for Epping Forest Neil Hudson said he was “very relieved” at Kebatu’s deportation, but “this hasn’t gone away for the people of Epping”.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “No-one wants to see our home town the lead story on the news, so this is incredibly frustrating and the Government must get a grip.

He reiterated calls for the Bell Hotel to cease housing asylum seekers, adding: “There are significant management and safeguarding issues related to this hotel, and actually what we need to see is that the hotel needs to be closed.

“This is the wrong hotel in the wrong place, right near the forest, right near two schools.”

Kebatu’s case has renewed scrutiny of the criminal justice system after a series of mistaken releases across the country, with a union leader warning there had been five such cases across five prisons over the last week.

Prison Officers’ Association national chairman Mark Fairhurst told the PA news agency two mistaken releases were made from HMP Pentonville, in north London, with the others at HMP Durham, The Mount prison in Hertfordshire and from Reading Crown Court.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Fairhurst said Prison Service leaders have known mistaken releases have been a “regular occurrence” for the last year.

No prison officers have been suspended over the other five releases, he said.

The Ministry of Justice disputed the number of prisoners released in error but confirmed some had taken place in the last seven days.

One offender is still at large after being mistakenly freed, it is understood.

According to Government figures published in July, 262 prisoners were released in error in the year to March 2025 – a 128% increase on 115 in the previous 12 months.

It is understood Kebatu, who crossed the Channel in a small boat to enter the UK on June 29, left prison on Friday with some personal money but did not receive a discharge grant.

His trial heard he had made inappropriate comments to a 14-year-old girl before trying to kiss her on July 7, just eight days after his arrival in the UK.

The following day, he sexually assaulted a woman by attempting to kiss her, placing his hand on her leg, and telling her she was “pretty”.

He denied the charges against him but was found guilty of five offences and sentenced in September to 12 months in custody, including the time he had already time in jail awaiting his trial.

The court heard it was his “firm wish” to leave the UK.