Sign in Subscribe
Emigration and immigration

Mistakenly Released Sex Offender Arrested in London Amid High-Profile Manhunt

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Ethiopian national Hadush Kebatu, who was jailed for 12 months in September for the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl, was mistakenly released from HMP Chelmsford in Essex last Friday morning instead of being sent to an immigration detention centre. Kebatu, who had been living at The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, when he committed the crime, took a train from Chelmsford to Stratford in London and was later spotted in Dalston, London. He was found and arrested in Finsbury Park, London, at around 8:30 am yesterday after a member of the public spotted him at a nearby bus stop. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed that Kebatu will be deported, which could happen as early as this week. An investigation has been ordered to determine what went wrong with the mistaken release.

Key Takeaways:

  • Hadush Kebatu, a 40-year-old Ethiopian national, was mistakenly released from HMP Chelmsford in Essex last Friday morning.
  • Kebatu was sentenced to 12 months in prison in September for the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl.
  • He took a train from Chelmsford to Stratford in London and was later spotted in Dalston, London.
  • A member of the public spotted Kebatu at a bus stop in Finsbury Park, London, leading to his arrest at around 8:30 am yesterday.
  • Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed that Kebatu will be deported, which could happen as early as this week.
  • A prison officer has been taken off duties to discharge prisoners while an investigation takes place.
  • Kebatu was not given a discharge grant to cover subsistence costs, unlike other released prisoners.
  • Kebatu had previously been spotted by a delivery driver, who described him as appearing "very confused" when returning to the prison.

Statistics:

  • 12 months: the length of Kebatu's prison sentence.
  • 14 years old: the age of the victim of Kebatu's sexual assault.
  • September: the month in which Kebatu was sentenced to prison.
  • 40 years old: the age of Hadush Kebatu.
  • £0: the amount of personal money Kebatu was given upon release.
  • Week: the timeframe in which Kebatu is likely to be deported.

Sources:

  • "Mistakenly released sex offender arrested in London after manhunt." _BBC News_
  • "Sex offender who was mistakenly released from prison to be deported." _The Guardian_
  • "Ethiopian migrant who sexually assaulted 14-year-old girl 'was wrongly released from prison'." _Sky News_

Read more