Hadush Kebatu was deported to Ethiopia under duress and received a £500 payment after he threatened to disrupt his expulsion. The sex offender, mistakenly released from prison instead of being deported, was flown back to his native country on Tuesday night and arrived on Wednesday morning without the right to reenter Britain. The payment was reportedly a decision made by the removal team for operational reasons, without ministerial involvement.
The alternative to the payment would have been a lengthier and costlier process of re-detaining Kebatu and arranging a new flight, which could have led to legal challenges. The cancellation of Kebatu’s flight was estimated to cost thousands of pounds. The 38-year-old, released in error from HMP Chelmsford, had recently served a 12-month jail term for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman in Essex.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated that every effort was made to deport Kebatu, emphasizing the removal of this dangerous child sex offender as a victory for public safety. The Ethiopian national had initially faced deportation but triggered a significant manhunt across the southeast when he fled to London. Kebatu had been staying at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, at the time of his crimes.
On Sunday morning, the sex offender was apprehended in the Finsbury Park area by police. He was seen being escorted by plain-clothed officers near a bus stop in North London, wearing a black jacket and jeans. Three officers accompanied him to a police van, where he was hooded and facing the ground. Kebatu, who entered the UK via a small boat in June, left prison with personal funds but no discharge grant for living expenses.
A delivery driver reported witnessing Kebatu’s confused attempts to return to HMP Chelmsford multiple times, only to be turned away by prison staff and redirected to the train station. A prison officer has been relieved of duties related to prisoner releases pending an investigation.