TL;DR
- Hadush Kebatu, a migrant convicted of sexual offences, has been deported to Ethiopia after being mistakenly released from prison.
- Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood expressed relief over Kebatu’s deportation, citing public safety concerns following a manhunt for his capture.
- An independent inquiry is underway, and new safeguards for prisoner releases are being implemented to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Hadush Kebatu: Migrant sex offender deported after mistaken prison release
Migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu has been deported to Ethiopia following his mistaken release from prison.
Footage captured from Heathrow Airport showed the moment he was escorted on to a plane on Tuesday night.
The government says he has no right to return to the UK.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she “pulled every lever” to deport Kebatu.
“I am pleased to confirm this vile child sex offender has been deported. Our streets are safer because of it,” she said.
Kebatu was found and arrested by the Metropolitan Police in the Finsbury Park area of north London at around 8.30am on Sunday following a manhunt.
Last month, he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a schoolgirl and a woman in Epping, Essex, just over a week after arriving in the UK on a small boat.
He was expected to be deported, but instead of being handed over to immigration officials he was released from HMP Chelmsford on Friday.
He spent just under 48 hours at large before he was apprehended.