A migrant sex offender, Hadush Kebatu, who was mistakenly released from prison has been deported from the United Kingdom and banned from returning.

He was jailed for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman in Epping, Essex, while living in an asylum hotel. Kebatu was accidentally freed by prison staff on Friday but was caught after a two-day manhunt.

The Home Office confirmed that Kebatu was deported to Ethiopia on Tuesday night and arrived in Addis Ababa the next morning.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said, “Last week’s blunder should never have happened and I share the public’s anger that it did. 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.”

Ethiopian police told the BBC that Kebatu was briefly detained at the airport before being released, as there was “no legal basis for his continued detention,” according to Ethiopian Federal Police spokesman Jaylan Abde.

He was supposed to be transferred from HMP Chelmsford to an immigration detention centre for deportation under the Early Removals Scheme (ERS) for foreign offenders. Instead, he was mistakenly released, a situation Justice Secretary David Lammy described as “human error.”

By the time Essex Police were alerted, Kebatu had approached people in the city centre for help and boarded a train to London. He was arrested in north London on Sunday morning after a tip-off from a member of the public near Finsbury Park station.

Home Office Minister Alex Norris told BBC Breakfast that the situation “ended in the way it had to end,” adding:

“We accept this was a blunder. We’re really angry about it as I know the public are.”

He said new “stringent” checks had been introduced to prevent similar incidents and confirmed that an independent inquiry, led by Dame Lynne Owens, would examine how Kebatu was mistakenly released. The inquiry will also review staff training and interview Kebatu’s victims.

A prison officer has been suspended, and no deportations from HMP Chelmsford under the ERS will take place this week.

Neil Hudson, MP for Epping Forest, said the local community would be “very relieved” by Kebatu’s removal.

“No one wants to see our hometown as the lead story on the news,” he said. “The events over the weekend have really brought things to the surface again. This is incredibly frustrating and the government must get a grip.”

Kebatu entered the UK by crossing the English Channel in June 2024 after travelling through Sudan, Libya, Italy, and France. His arrest in July led to protests outside The Bell Hotel in Epping, which was being used to house asylum seekers.

During his trial, the court heard that Kebatu had tried to kiss and make explicit comments to a 14-year-old girl before assaulting her and another woman the next day. He denied the charges but was found guilty of five offences and sentenced to 12 months in custody.

Under the UK Borders Act 2007, foreign nationals sentenced to a year or more in prison are subject to automatic deportation. During his trial, Kebatu reportedly said it was his “firm wish” to be deported.(TRIBUNE)

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