Migrant sex offender deported after being mistakenly released from prison
Home Office deports migrant sex offender to Ethiopia after prison release error
- Hadush Kebatu, an Ethiopian national convicted of sexual assault, has been deported to Ethiopia after being wrongly released from HMP Chelmsford.
- Kebatu was mistakenly freed on Friday morning instead of being transferred to an immigration detention centre, leading to a two-day manhunt before his arrest in London.
- Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirmed his deportation, stating the blunder should never have happened and that the “vile child sex offender has been deported”.
- Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy announced an independent inquiry, chaired by Dame Lynne Owens, into the 'unacceptable' incident, which he attributed to human error.
- The incident has renewed scrutiny of prison procedures, with a prison officer suspended and concerns raised about a significant increase in mistaken releases across the UK prison system.