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Hadush Kebatu, a migrant sex offender mistakenly released from HMP Chelmsford, was last seen in east London on Friday evening according to the Metropolitan Police. The Ethiopian national was spotted in the Dalston area of Hackney shortly before 8:00 pm, with extra police dispatched to aid in the ongoing search. CCTV footage captured Kebatu earlier in the day at a library in Dalston Square, donning a prison-issue grey tracksuit and carrying a white bag adorned with images of avocados.
Kebatu had been set free in error four weeks after being sentenced for sexual assault incidents in Epping, Essex, involving a 14-year-old girl and a woman while staying at an asylum hotel. Despite waiting for transfer to an immigration detention center for planned deportation, an administrative blunder led to his premature release from the Chelmsford facility. The police shared that Kebatu encountered members of the public and sought assistance, unaware of the extensive search efforts underway to locate him.
The justice system has since been scrutinized for the oversight, prompting Justice Secretary David Lammy to initiate an independent investigation into Kebatu’s release. Following the incident, HM Prison Service instructed governors to implement additional checks before inmates’ release, emphasizing the need for precautions to prevent such errors. A senior prison official attributed the lapse to a confluence of mistakes, citing potential workforce strain as a contributing factor.
In a separate report, His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service revealed a significant rise in the number of erroneous releases of prisoners in England and Wales in recent years. The statistics underscore the pressing need for enhanced protocols and oversight within correctional facilities to avert similar incidents. The incident has sparked criticism from political figures, including Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, who condemned the error as a grave display of institutional negligence
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