Police have launched a major, urgent manhunt for a convicted sex offender who was mistakenly released from prison on Friday morning and is now believed to be at large in the London area.
Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 41, an Ethiopian national due to be deported, was serving a 12-month sentence for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman in Epping, Essex. He is a registered sex offender and is subject to a five-year sexual harm prevention order.
Authorities confirmed that Kebatu was supposed to be transferred directly from HMP Chelmsford to an immigration removal centre ahead of his imminent deportation, but was released in error instead.
The Timeline of Failure
The appalling mistake was discovered hours later. Essex Police were only alerted by the Prison Service at 12:57 pm on Friday.
Frantic inquiries quickly established that Kebatu had already boarded a London-bound train from Chelmsford station at 12:41 pm—just minutes before the police were notified of the blunder.
The Metropolitan Police and British Transport Police are now assisting in the search for the dangerous offender.
A Prison Service spokesperson confirmed a "release in error" and stated that an urgent internal investigation had been launched. A prison officer has been removed from discharge duties pending the outcome of the inquiry.
Essex Police said, 'We understand the concern the public would have regarding this situation and can assure you we have officers working to urgently locate and detain him.'
'We would appeal to anyone who has seen him or has any information regarding where he might be to call 999 immediately and quote 0474 of 24 October.'
Political Fallout and Systemic Crisis
The news has triggered an immediate and furious political backlash.
Justice Secretary David Lammy said he was "appalled" and "livid on behalf of the public that Kebatu is at large," confirming he has ordered a "full and immediate investigation."
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer demanded the offender "must be caught and deported for his crimes."
Meanwhile, political opponents seized on the administrative failure. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage condemned the incident as "breathtaking incompetence," while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch claimed the "entire system is collapsing under Labour."
The Crisis at the Nexus of Immigration and Justice
The blunder has reignited scrutiny of chronic weaknesses in the UK's prison and immigration systems, where overcrowding and staffing shortages have made administrative errors increasingly inevitable.
Under-trained officers, mounting caseloads, and pressure to expedite releases have created conditions ripe for such failures.
Critics say the incident exposes a deeper malaise — a justice infrastructure stretched to breaking point by delayed deportations, record inmate numbers, and years of underinvestment.
With 262 prisoners released in error over the past year — double the previous figure — what were once isolated mishaps are now symptomatic of a systemic collapse.
Kebatu's mistaken release sits at the volatile crossroads of immigration enforcement, public safety, and prison management — three of the most politically charged arenas in British public life. As a foreign national, asylum seeker, and convicted sex offender due for deportation, his case has become a lightning rod for broader anxieties about state competence and control.
For many observers, the episode is no longer merely an administrative embarrassment but a national reckoning.
It highlights a government struggling to deliver on its promises of swift deportations and firm justice, while simultaneously battling to maintain public confidence in the integrity of its borders and the safety of its citizens.
Convictions and Past Controversy
Kebatu arrived in the UK earlier this year on a small boat. His accommodation at the Bell Hotel in Epping sparked violent, far-right protests in July, leading to dozens of arrests.
During his trial, jurors heard that Kebatu attempted to kiss a teenage girl and made sexually explicit remarks before assaulting her and another woman who had offered to help him write a CV.
He was convicted of five offences, including two counts of sexual assault.
