Essex PoliceWho is Hadush Kebatu?
Essex PoliceHadush Kebatu is an Ethiopian asylum seeker who crossed the Channel on a small boat on 29 June having travelled through Sudan, Libya, Italy and France.
He was housed at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, which was being used to accommodate migrants.
What offences did he commit?
PA MediaOn 7 July Kebatu made sexually explicit remarks to a 14-year-old girl who was eating a pizza with her friend in Epping town centre.
The next day, he sexually assaulted a woman, trying to kiss her. He did the same to the girl he had made remarks to the day before, having encountered her by chance.
The woman saw Kebatu with the girl and called 999.
His arrest led to a wave of protests outside the hotel.
Kebatu was found guilty of two sexual assaults, harassing the girl, inciting her to engage in sexual activity and an attempted sexual assault.
He was sentenced to 12 months in prison in September and was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years. He was also told he was facing deportation.
What led to his release?
Kebatu was mistakenly released from HMP Chelmsford on 24 October.
Prison sources said he was meant to be sent to an immigration detention centre ahead of a planned deportation.
A delivery driver said he saw him return to the prison multiple times, “confused,” only to be turned away and directed to the railway station.
Has this happened before at Chelmsford Prison?
GoogleThe Kebatu mistake is not the only one made recently at the Chelmsford jail.
Convicted fraudster Junead Ahmed was freed while on remand after the prison was sent a fake email purporting to be from the Royal Courts of Justice authorising his release. He was then freed.
A report from His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service said 262 prisoners in England and Wales were released in error between April 2024 and March 2025, up from 115 in the previous 12 months.
HMP Chelmsford is a highly secured Category B men’s prison that houses roughly 750 male inmates aged over 18 and also young offenders.
The prison’s most recent inspection report, covering January to February 2024, highlighted some issues.
It mentioned “considerable pressures… because of national capacity issues” and noted staff shortages in both reception and the pre-release team.
How was he recaptured?
Essex Police learned of the mistaken release at 12:57 BST on Friday, 16 minutes after Kebatu boarded a Greater Anglia train to east London, which stopped at Shenfield and Stratford.
He was filmed in Chelmsford city centre asking the public for help and later seen travelling across London.
CCTV later captured him in a library in Dalston Square, still wearing a grey prison tracksuit and carrying a white bag with avocado prints.
Police said without a phone or bank cards, tracking him proved difficult.
They relied on CCTV and public tips, manually reviewing footage to trace his movements.
He was eventually spotted in Finsbury Park, north London, just before 08:30 GMT on Sunday.
What has been the reaction?
In a statement read by independent councillor for Epping Forest District Council, Shane Yerrell, the father of the 14-year-old victim said his daughter had been slowly rebuilding her confidence.
It added that Friday’s news had caused her significant stress and anxiety.
He said his family felt “massively let down and infuriated” by the prison, police, justice system, and government.
Chelmsford MP Marie Goldman called Kebatu’s release mind-blowing and, although welcoming his arrest, said it did not excuse the “serious mistakes”.
“It’s unacceptable that the safety of my constituents, and the people of London, was ever put at risk,” she added, calling for a “rapid, national inquiry”.
The prison service has since announced additional mandatory checks on prisoner releases – but senior staff told the BBC it was merely adding to their workload.
Former prison officials have told the BBC that the prison service is overloaded.
What happens next?
Justice Secretary David Lammy said Kebatu would be deported “this week”, once he had been questioned by police about his movements since Friday.
Lammy will make a statement in Parliament on Monday and address the terms of reference for a full independent inquiry into how the mistaken prisoner release happened.
The government has said it will increase funding for probation to ensure there are more prison places.
Lammy also pointed to the sentencing bill going through Parliament at the moment, which he said would “make the system stronger”.
