An Ethiopian asylum seeker who arrived in the UK just over a week ago has been charged with three sexual assaults following incidents in Epping, Essex, prompting renewed calls from local officials to close migrant hotels in the area.
Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, appeared at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on Thursday where he denied all charges relating to offences allegedly committed between Monday and Tuesday. The defendant also denied charges of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity and harassment without violence.
District Judge Christopher Williams remanded Kebatu in custody and ordered a trial to take place within 56 days. He will next appear at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on 17 July.
Prosecutor Serena Berry told the court that one of the alleged victims had been approached “on a busy high street.” She emphasised that Kebatu had “no ties to anyone or any place in the UK,” adding: “Immigration have confirmed he has only been in the UK since June 29, 2025.
Home Office figures show that 585 migrants arrived on the South Coast on eight dinghies on that day. Raphael Pigott, defending, confirmed: “I believe he is here as a refugee or asylum seeker, and that he arrived informally on a boat.”
Essex Police reported being “alerted to reports of a man acting inappropriately in High Road, at 5.20pm on Tuesday July 8.” A spokesperson added: “Officers arrived quickly and arrested a man. As a result of the work of officers, offences separate to those which had taken place on Tuesday were then reported for the first time and an investigation was launched.
The incident has prompted strong reaction from local officials. Epping Forest District Council leader Chris Whitbread called for a migrant hotel in the town to be closed, describing the events as “both deeply disturbing and extremely concerning.
“Let me be absolutely clear. Epping Forest District Council has consistently and repeatedly opposed the use of the Bell Hotel to accommodate asylum seekers,” Whitbread stated. From the outset, we warned the Home Office that this site is entirely inappropriate.
Whitbread criticised the practice of “placing vulnerable individuals from a wide range of cultural backgrounds into an unsupervised setting, in the centre of a small town, without the proper infrastructure, support or services” as “both reckless and unacceptable.
Latest data from the Home Office shows that 55 migrants are being housed under Epping Forest’s jurisdiction. The Bell Hotel in Epping had previously been closed by the Conservative government but was reopened under Labour to house asylum seekers.
The Home Office acknowledged that the asylum system was “under strain” following Whitbread’s call for closure. A spokeswoman stated: “That was the situation the Government inherited, but we have begun to restore order, with a rapid increase in asylum decision-making and the removal of more than 24,000 people with no right to be in the UK.”
She added: “By restoring order to the system, we will be able to end the use of asylum hotels over time, and reduce the overall costs to the taxpayer of asylum accommodation.
The incident occurs against a backdrop of rising small boat crossings. In the first five months of 2025, arrivals have continued to increase, with nearly 20,000 people crossing the English Channel since 5 July—a 23 percent increase on the same period in 2023.
Currently, 220 hotels across the UK are being used for asylum seeker accommodation, with more than 32,000 asylum seekers housed in hotels nationwide and around 70,000 more in other forms of accommodation. Three-quarters of all money spent on asylum accommodation goes on hotels, equating to £1.3 billion out of £1.7 billion between 2024-25, according to the National Audit Office.
Essex Police Superintendent Tim Tubbs acknowledged significant public interest in the case. We’re aware of a significant amount of public discussion around this case – and I understand that,” he said. As the police, we must be limited in what we say whilst a criminal investigation is progressing through the courts and the last thing we want is for any public discussion to hinder an ongoing prosecution.
Tubbs confirmed that targeted patrols have been increased in the area since the incident. We have had continued, targeted patrols in the area since this incident and we plan for this to continue,” he stated. “These officers are there to help and reassure you, so please feel free to approach them if you do have any wider concerns.”
The superintendent also noted: “We’re working closely with our key partners in the area, and this means we’re all able to understand the impact this incident has had locally – and that impact is not lost on me.”
The case has intensified debate about border security measures and the use of hotels to accommodate asylum seekers, with critics arguing that the current system places both local communities and vulnerable asylum seekers at risk.
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