The Epping Hotel migrant who was mistakenly released from prison will be deported “this week” after being recaptured on Sunday.
Hadush Kebatu, who was mistakenly released from HMP Chelmsford, was arrested by Metropolitan Police officers in Finsbury Park, north London, on Sunday morning following a major manhunt.
The asylum seeker, who sexually assaulted a woman and a 14-year-old girl, was to have been sent to an immigration detention center for deportation, but was mistakenly released on Friday..
Essex Police said Kebatu, 41, boarded a London-bound train at Chelmsford at 12.41pm following the error.. He was then seen on CCTV inside a library in Dalston Square, east London, at 6pm that evening, when the Metropolitan Police took over the search.
On Sunday morning, Kebatu was seen at a bus stop by a citizen who called the police at 8.03am. He was arrested at 8:19 a.m. for being illegally released.
On Monday Justice Secretary David Lammy is expected to face questions in Parliament and announce an independent inquiry into what happened. He told broadcasters on Sunday: “This man should have basically been in line to be deported and should not have been released into the community, that should not have happened.”
Lammy also said the migrant needed to be questioned by police before being deported, adding: “I can assure you that he will be deported as he was expected to be deported. I hope that happens this week.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “We must ensure this does not happen again.” The government faces questions about the error.
In a statement on X/Twitter, he added: “Hadush Kebatu has been arrested and will be deported. “Officers have worked quickly and diligently to get him back into custody. “We have ordered an investigation to establish what went wrong.”
Marie Goldman, Liberal Democrat MP for Chelmsford, called for a swift national investigation into the incident, saying: “It is unacceptable that the safety of my constituents and the people of London has ever been put at risk.”
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said he was “shocked this inept Labor government let him out in the first place” and that Lammy and Mahmood had “questions to answer”.
Kebatu was arrested inside Finsbury Park after a member of the public spotted him at a bus stop (PA)
A delivery driver described seeing Kebatu return to HMP Chelmsford in a “very confused” state “four or five times”, only to be turned away by prison staff and directed to the train station.
A prison officer has been removed from duty to release prisoners while an investigation into the error is carried out.
In September, Kebatu was jailed for 12 months and made the subject of a five-year sexual harm prevention order for five offences, with a judge warning he posed a “significant risk of reoffending”. He was also added to the sex offenders register for 10 years.
His crimes sparked major protests and counter-protests outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, where he was staying, and eventually at hotels housing asylum seekers across the country.
Kebatu lived at the Bell Hotel in Epping before being jailed (PA)
A three-day trial at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court heard he told two teenagers he wanted to “have a baby with each of them” and tried to kiss them. He then put his hand on one of the girls’ thighs and stroked her hair during the July 7 incident.
Kebatu, an Ethiopian national who had arrived in Britain on a small boat days earlier, was also found to have sexually assaulted a woman by attempting to kiss her, put his hand on her leg and tell her she was pretty.
Sentencing Kebatu last month, a judge told him that his behavior “really highlights the poor regard that should be held for women.”
CCTV showed Hadush Kebatu inside an east London library on Friday (Metropolitan Police)
In court, Kebatu gave his date of birth through a translator as December 1986, making him 38 years old. However, Essex Police have said their records show he was born in 1983, making him 41 years old.
Commander James Conway, who oversaw the chase, said: “This has been a diligent and rapid investigation led by specialist officers from the Metropolitan Police, with support from Essex Police and British Transport Police. I am extremely grateful to the public for their support following our appeal, which helped locate Mr Kebatu.”