UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Epping sex offender Hadush Kebatu, wrongly freed from prison, has been deported to Ethiopia, with the Home Office saying UK streets are now safer.
As reported by The Independent, the Home Office confirmed that Hadush Kebatu has been deported from the UK to Ethiopia and is barred from returning.
The Ethiopian citizen was mistakenly freed from HMP Chelmsford last week instead of being transferred to an immigration detention facility.
Following a two-day manhunt, police have taken a migrant into custody in connection with the sexual assault of a teenage girl. He had been living in the Essex area.
What did Shabana Mahmood say about Kebatu’s deportation?
The Home Office confirmed Hadush Kebatu was deported to Ethiopia on Tuesday and arrived on Wednesday.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated,
“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.”
She added,
“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.”
What did David Lammy say about Kebatu prison release?
Justice Secretary David Lammy described the incident as “unacceptable.”
He stated,
“We must get to the bottom of what happened. I have established an independent investigation chaired by Dame Lynne Owens into last Friday’s events to get the public the answers they rightly deserve, and we have introduced the strictest checks ever seen in our prison system to stop similar unacceptable errors in future.”
He told MPs that Ketabus’ release was “what appears to have been in human error.”
What did Mark Fairhurst say about mistaken releases?
Mark Fairhurst, national chairman of the Prison Officers’ Association, said multiple incidents have occurred over the past week.
He said prison authorities have been aware that wrong releases have been a “regular occurrence” over the past year.
Mr Fairhurst stated,
“Over the last seven days, there’s been five releases in errors from five separate prisons.”
Mr Fairhurst reported that two errors occurred at HMP Pentonville, with additional mistaken releases at HMP Durham, The Mount prison, and Reading Crown Court.
What did Steve Reed say about Kebatu’s release?
Housing Secretary Steve Reed said he shares the “frustration and fury” of the girl’s family over Kebatu’s mistaken release from prison.
He stated,
“My jaw was on the floor like everyone else’s when I heard that he had been released in the way that he had been. He shouldn’t even be our country, let alone committing the kind of acts that he carried out.”
Mr Reed said,
“Now I want to pay tribute to the police who have apprehended him, thank goodness, very, very quickly, and the public whose vigilance helped to tip off the police where to identify him.”
The housing secretary stated,
“And people should be reassured that he will now be deported this week, but it’s very worrying that this individual was released, apparently by accident, and he’s not the only one, so the Ministry of Justice has ordered the full investigation there.”
What was Kebatu found guilty of in court?
After crossing the Channel on June 29, Kebatu left prison with personal money but was not given a grant to cover living costs.
Just eight days after arriving in Britain by small boat, he was found guilty of making inappropriate comments to a 14-year-old girl and attempting to kiss her on July 7.
Following a three-day trial at Chelmsford and Colchester Magistrates’ Courts in September, the migrant was convicted of five offences, with his sentencing hearing noting his “firm wish” to be deported.
How many prisoners were released in error in 2025?
According to official government figures, 262 prisoners were released in error in England and Wales between April 2024 and March 2025. This data represents a 128% increase from the 115 mistaken releases recorded in the previous 12-month period.
Of the 262 errors, the vast majority, 233, occurred within prison establishments, while the remaining 29 happened at court.
