A hotel migrant who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl in Epping was seen walking around a town centre hours after he was mistakenly released from prison in what a senior justice source called the mother of all f*** ups.
Hadush Kebatu, 41, had been due to be transferred from HMP Chelmsford to an immigration removal centre in order to be deported. However, the Ethiopian sex offender who arrived in the UK by small boat was accidentally let loose this morning.
Videos circulating on social media show a man matching Kebatu’s description in Chelmsford town centre wearing a grey tracksuit and carrying a clear plastic bag with a copy of Salvation Army’s War Cry, a magazine which is popular in prison.
Police have since confirmed Kebatu boarded a London-bound train at Chelmsford railway station at 12.41pm today, prompting fears he could be anywhere in the capital. A major manhunt is now underway to locate the convicted sex offender.
A senior justice source described the error as down to human error. It is understood that a prison officer has been removed from discharging duties whilst an urgent investigation takes place into the catastrophic blunder.
Responding to the fiasco, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Labour of incompetence that beggars belief. The mistake comes as Sir Keir Starmer is accused of failing the country on migration with his one in, one out policy in tatters after a migrant previously deported under the scheme returned to the UK on a small boat.
Reacting to the incident, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the Epping hotel migrant sex attacker has been accidentally freed rather than deported and is now walking the streets of Essex, declaring that Britain is broken.
Kebatu, who tried to kiss a schoolgirl and groped the woman who came to her aid, had been due to be deported from Britain imminently, the Daily Mail understands. He was jailed for one year on 23rd September and had been in prison for just four weeks prior to his release today.
Offenders who are subject to deportation are normally transferred by a secure prison van directly to an immigration removal centre. It remains unclear why Kebatu was allowed to leave the prison rather than being put aboard a secure vehicle.
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said he was appalled at the latest error, adding the convicted sex attacker must be deported for his crimes, not on our streets. His strong intervention reflects the political furore erupting over the blunder.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said the outrageous fiasco was a national embarrassment. The case of Hadush Kebatu is a parable for how the British state consistently fails the British people, the Tory frontbencher said.
He stated it is outrageous the victims have been failed in this way and the whole saga is a national embarrassment. Jenrick insisted Kebatu should have been on a flight out of the UK long ago.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said a dangerous convicted paedophile who attacked a 14-year-old girl has been allowed to vanish back onto our streets and should have been deported immediately. He accused the Government of having no backbone.
Philp declared that whether it is a migrant breaking back into the UK or record entries into the UK, this week has been a litany of failure from the Home Office and Home Secretary. He claimed only the Conservative Party have a serious, hard-edged plan to deliver stronger borders.
A Prison Service spokesperson confirmed that Kebatu had accidentally been released from custody. They said they are urgently working with police to return an offender to custody following a release in error at HMP Chelmsford, adding that public protection is their top priority and they have launched an investigation.
Chelmsford residents said they are terrified at the news and have set up residents patrol groups to find the escaped offender. The grassroots response demonstrates the fear gripping the community.
Mother-of-four Jane Marshall, 56, said it is terrifying and questioned what the hell has gone wrong for that to happen. She called it a joke and an absolute disgrace, adding that as a family area, residents are extremely worried.
Marshall revealed women would not go out alone and have decided to go out in groups as a residents patrol, stating they cannot believe the news. The informal neighbourhood watch reflects desperation in the face of official failures.
Another mother said she was petrified and confirmed women would be out in groups now. Richard Dixon, 45, who lives in a house opposite the prison, said there has been a heavy police presence in the area.
He said residents cannot believe it and there were police, sirens and all sorts earlier. Dixon described the situation as horrific, adding they have seen apparent footage of the man wandering the street whilst women are terrified.
Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court previously heard Kebatu acted ignorantly and repulsively when he sexually assaulted the schoolgirl just eight days after arriving in the UK on a small boat. The rapid escalation from arrival to serious sexual offending shocked the court.
The Ethiopian national became aroused as he put his hand on the girl’s thighs and stroked her hair despite knowing full well she was only 14. He also told her he wanted to marry her and have a baby with her, and invited her back to The Bell Hotel in Epping where he was staying.
The migrant, who was a teacher of sports in his home country, then tried to kiss a woman who attempted to intervene before putting his hand on her leg and telling her she was pretty. His predatory behaviour demonstrated a pattern of targeting vulnerable females.
After assaulting the schoolgirl, Kebatu was chased back to The Bell Hotel by his adult victim, who called police. He denied three counts of sexual assault, one of attempted sexual assault, a charge of harassment and another of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, but was convicted on all charges at trial.
The offences took place on 7th and 8th July this year. District Judge Christopher Williams said his disgusting and sickening behaviour, which sparked a huge anti-migrant demonstration in Epping, highlighted the poor regard he must have for women.
The migrant had shown no remorse, the court heard. Kebatu, who the court heard had tried to take his own life whilst on remand in prison, showed no emotion as he was told his sentence.
He was sentenced to 12 months in prison, made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and told to sign the sex offenders register. He was also told to pay £650 in court costs, but is now loose on the streets of Britain.
Kebatu’s arrest sparked a wave of anti-migrant protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers across the country this summer. In response, the Prime Minister recently announced a new one in, one out deal with France, which enables the UK to return migrants to the European country in exchange for genuine asylum seekers.
But the plan hit a road bump this week after it emerged that one such migrant who had been deported to France was spotted arriving in the UK again, having made a second voyage across the Channel. The embarrassing failure undermined Government claims of effective border control.
The PM insisted the man would be swiftly returned again to France. Speaking to ITV Meridian on a visit to Peacehaven this morning, Sir Keir said the individual that has returned is already in detention and will now be fast tracked back out of the country.
He stated that because authorities have his details and know he has not got a claim to make, they will remove him very, very swiftly, making his return journey completely pointless. Pressed whether the Government’s approach to stopping small boats was in tatters, Sir Keir said no.
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