An escaped prisoner who sexually assaulted a teenage girl after arriving in the UK on a small boat was last seen in London after he was mistakenly released from prison, police say.
Hadush Kebatu, 41, a former asylum seeker, was wrongly released from HMP Chelmsford on Friday.
The Ethiopian national, who had been staying at a hotel housing asylum seekers, was jailed for 12 months in September for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and an adult woman.
Kebatu was released ‘in error‘
Essex Police launched a manhunt for Hadush Kebatu on Friday after being informed by the Prison Service that “an error” had led him being released.
The offender was convicted of sexual assault following a high-profile trial two months ago.
It has since emerged that Kebatu was due to be transferred to an immigration detention centre ahead of his deportation.
A Prison Service spokesperson said: “We are urgently working with police to return an offender to custody following a release in error at HMP Chelmsford.
“Public protection is our top priority, and we have launched an investigation into this incident.”
It has since emerged that Kebatu was due to be transferred to an immigration detention centre. (Photo: Essex Police/PA)He was wrongly categorised as a prisoner to be released on licence and handed a £76 discharge grant, the Daily Telegraph reported.
A delivery driver, named as Sim, spoke to Sky News, claiming he talked with Kebatu moments after the “confused” offender was allowed to walk free.
Sim claimed Kebatu was left lingering outside the prison for “an hour and a half” and repeatedly went back into the reception area.
The driver said: “He came out of the airlock, and kept saying to the officers there, ‘Where am I going? What am I doing? I don’t know where I’m going and what I’m doing.’
“He was holding a pack of paperwork in his arms, and his bag of bits.”
The driver added: “The fourth or fifth time [he went into the reception] he was starting to get upset, he was getting stressed. I’m not sticking up for the guy, but in my eyes, he was trying to do the right thing.”
‘High level of confidence’ he is in London
The Met Police, which has now taken the search over from Essex colleagues, said it had a “high level of confidence” that Kebatu is in London.
Kebatu, who first entered the UK via a small boat channel crossing in June, boarded a 12.41pm train from Chelmsford, on Friday, police said.
Trainline data shows the train was bound for Liverpool Street.
By the time the search began, the Greater Anglia train had already called at Shenfield.
Police say Kebatu left the train at Stratford, east London, at 1.10pm.
Commander James Conway, from the Met Police, said finding Kebatu was a “top priority” and urged the public to step forward with any information.
His exact whereabouts are currently unknown.
Sexual assault
Kebatu is an Ethiopian national who arrived in the UK on a small boat on June 29, in exchange for 2,500 euros (£2,155).
He claimed asylum and was placed at The Bell Hotel, in Essex, a hotel accommodating migrants awaiting decisions on their immigration statuses.
Essex Police first arrested Kebatu on Tuesday, 8 July. after receiving reports of a man behaving inappropriately.
He would eventually be found guilty of two counts of sexual assault and one of attempted sexual assault.
The trial heard how Kebatu had tried to kiss two girls on 7 July after one of them offered him a pizza. He also invited them to the Bell hotel, the judge heard.
A 14-year-old boy who was friends with one of the victims said in a video interview with police that was played to the court on Wednesday that Kebatu asked them to “come to the Bell hotel to have babies, then we could go to Kenya with each other”.
Shortly before this, he had sexually assaulted and attempted to kiss a woman who had offered to help with making a CV.
Sentencing Kebatu last month, Judge Christopher Williams told him his behaviour “really highlights the poor regard you must have for women”.
He said Kebatu, who claims to be 38 years old, posed a “significant risk of reoffending”.
Kebatu, who claims to have been a sports teacher in his home country, denied the offences and said he was not “a wild animal”.
He may have been caught on video
Footage circulating on social media appeared to show a man matching Kebatu’s description stood outside a Pret a Manger in Chelmsford’s town centre.
The man, dressed in a full grey tracksuit, and carrying a plastic bag, is seen talking with a group of men.
He then points in the direction of Chelmsford railway station before walking off.
Locals told The i Paper they were upset that Kebatu had been roaming the streets.
An employee at a local jewellers said: “We were as shocked as everyone else when we heard.”
“The police came in and said they were looking for him. There were loads of police all over yesterday,” said a bar staff member at a local pub.
What has the Government said?
Sir Keir Starmer said the accidental release was “totally unacceptable”.
The Prime Minister continued: “I am appalled that it has happened and it’s being investigated.
“The police are working urgently to track him down, and my Government is supporting them.
“This man must be caught and deported for his crimes.”
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said he was “livid on behalf of the public”, adding that he had launched an investigation.
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