The father of the 14-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted by an asylum seeker in Essex says the government has “relentlessly” failed his family and that they received “no justice”.
Hadush Kebatu, an Ethiopian national, was jailed in September for sexually assaulting the teenager and a woman.
He was sentenced to one year in prison, but a month later was accidentally freed. An independent investigation has since been launched into his wrongful release led by Dame Lynne Owens.
Following a two-day manhunt, Kebatu was rearrested on 26 October in Finsbury Park, north London, after he travelled to the capital from Chelmsford. He was deported two days later, but only after being handed £500 when he threatened to disrupt the process.
The girl’s father, speaking anonymously to protect his daughter’s identity, said the government’s handling of the incident has been “breaking us as a family”.
“She was getting better until last weekend. All I can do now is try and pick up the pieces that the government will keep breaking of my daughter,” he told ITV News.
He added: “All they do is keep breaking us as a family. Like from July, from that very first phone call until now, we’ve just been let down relentlessly, time and time again.
“We haven’t had a single apology from the government. We haven’t had a single apology or any recognition whatsoever.
“It’s just been failure after failure after failure. And, you know, I’m disappointed. More than anything, I’m disgusted.”
The young girl also shared a written statement with the broadcaster, in which she said she “couldn’t sleep” because she “was so worried he was going to come back to Epping looking for me”.
“I didn’t want to be in Epping because I was so scared I was going to see him and he would recognise me,” she said.
The girl’s statement continued: “I think it’s disgusting how me and my family have been treated in all of this and it’s not fair that he was released by accident.
“I feel like I was put in danger all over again and all the feelings from that day came back.”
Kebatu’s assault on the girl sparked nationwide protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers over the summer, with some escalating into violence.
The girl’s father condemned the violence, adding: “I don’t condone a single bit of that. I don’t want any fighting, I don’t want any violence. I’m not racist, I’m not prejudiced. I never have been, and I never will be.
“There’s been no justice served, absolutely nothing. Seventeen weeks from the day he was arrested to the day he was deported. Seventeen weeks. Disgusting.
“There’s no justice system. It’s such a shame that we’ve been treated the way we have and we’ve had no help, no nothing.”
As a result, the Ministry of Justice has said prisons minister James Timpson has offered to meet with the family’s representatives.
Speaking in the Commons on Wednesday, deputy prime minister and justice secretary David Lammy apologised for the anxiety caused to the family.
Mr Lammy said: “I said sorry for the anxiety caused whilst Kebatu was at large – and I repeat that.
“And it’s hugely important that Dame Lynne Owens now gets to the bottom of what has happened with her further investigation.”
