The UK government confirmed on Friday that Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, a 38-year-old Ethiopian asylum seeker convicted of sexually assaulting a teenage girl and another woman, was mistakenly released from prison instead of being transferred to immigration detention for deportation.
Kebatu had been sentenced in September to 12 months in jail for the assaults, which included an attack on a 14-year-old girl. His arrest in July sparked angry protests outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, about 20 miles (32 km) north of London, where he had been living. The demonstrations became a flashpoint in growing public tensions over immigration.
Justice Secretary David Lammy said he was “appalled” by the administrative error at Chelmsford Prison that led to Kebatu’s release.
“We are urgently working with the police to track him down, and I’ve ordered an immediate investigation,” Lammy said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “Kebatu must be deported for his crimes — not on our streets.”
Authorities are now conducting a nationwide search for Kebatu as inquiries continue into how the mistake occurred.
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Source:Africa Publicity
