Asylum Seeker Sex Offender Arrested in High-Profile Manhunt After Being Mistakenly Released from Prison

An Ethiopian national, Hadush Kebatu, who was jailed for 12 months in September for the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl, was mistakenly freed from HMP Chelmsford on Friday morning instead of being sent to an immigration detention centre. Kebatu took a train from Chelmsford to Stratford, east London, where he was later spotted in Dalston carrying a white bag with pictures of avocados on it. He was arrested by police inside Finsbury Park at around 8.30am yesterday after a member of the public spotted him at a nearby bus stop. The incident has sparked calls for a "rapid" national inquiry into the blunder.

Key Takeaways:

• Hadush Kebatu, an Ethiopian national, was jailed for 12 months in September for the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl.
• Kebatu was mistakenly freed from HMP Chelmsford on Friday morning instead of being sent to an immigration detention centre.
• He took a train from Chelmsford to Stratford, east London, where he was later spotted in Dalston carrying a suspicious bag with pictures of avocados on it.
• Kebatu was arrested by police inside Finsbury Park at around 8.30am yesterday after a member of the public spotted him at a nearby bus stop.
• Sir Keir Starmer confirmed Kebatu would be deported and ordered an investigation into the incident.
• A witness reported that Kebatu was walking "calmly" and "wasn't trying to get away" when he was arrested.
• Chelmsford's Lib Dem MP Marie Goldman called for a "rapid" national inquiry into the blunder.

Statistics:

• Kebatu was sentenced to serve 12 months in prison for the sexual assault.
• The incident took place on Friday morning, and Kebatu was arrested the following day.
• The police investigation into the incident is ongoing.
• Kebatu was living at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, at the time of the assault.

Sources:

• Metropolitan Police Service
• Sir Keir Starmer
• Marie Goldman
• BBC News
• The Guardian