The manhunt is continuing for an asylum seeker who was accidentally released from where he was serving time for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.
Ethiopian national Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, who had been living at the Bell Hotel in Epping, was jailed for 12 months in September.
Justice Secretary David Lammy said on Friday night that Kebatu was “at large in London” after he was seen boarding a train at Chelmsford, and the Metropolitan Police was assisting in the hunt for him.
The father of Kebatu’s teenage victim told Sky News: “The justice system has let us down.”
The mistaken release at HMP Chelmsford is totally unacceptable. I am appalled that it has happened and it’s being investigated.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) October 24, 2025
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.
The Sun first reported on Friday that Kebatu was freed by mistake instead of being sent to an immigration detention centre.
He was wrongly categorised as a prisoner due to be released on licence and handed a £76 discharge grant, the Telegraph reported.
Sir Keir Starmer said the accidental release was “totally unacceptable”, adding: “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 Mr Lammy said was “livid on behalf of the public” and added that he had launched an investigation.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said Kebatu’s release was “staggering incompetence” and called for a public inquiry.
He told Sky News: “We certainly need a public inquiry into how this dangerous illegal immigrant, who is also a child sex offender, got released.
“We also need an urgent apology from Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Justice Secretary David Lammy who have presided over this fiasco.”
A statement from Essex Police said it had officers “working to urgently locate and detain him” after Kebatu was seen to catch a train at Chelmsford railway station.
It said: “We were informed by the prison service at 12.57pm today (Friday 24 October) of an error this morning surrounding the release of an individual.
“As a result of that, we have launched a search operation to locate them and are working closely with partner agencies.
“These fast-paced enquiries have shown that the man boarded a London-bound train at Chelmsford Railway Station at 12.41pm.
“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.”
The Greater Anglia train stopped at Shenfield and Stratford before arriving at London Liverpool Street at 13.18pm, according to Trainline data.
It is understood Kebatu was accidentally freed on Friday morning at HMP Chelmsford.
A prison officer has been taken off duties to discharge prisoners while an investigation is under way.
A Prison Service spokesman 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.”
Aaron Stow, the president of the Criminal Justice Workers’ Union (CJWU), said Kebatu’s mistaken release is “a profound failure of duty”.
He said: “The release of Hadush Kebatu is a betrayal of the victims, the community, and the principles of justice. We demand a full investigation and immediate reforms to ensure this never happens again.”
Mike Rolfe, the CJWU’s general secretary, added: “The justice system is stretched to breaking point, the public’s confidence is collapsing, and those tasked with enforcing the law are left to pick up the pieces of political cowardice.”
Chelmsford’s Liberal Democrat MP Marie Goldman called for a rapid public inquiry into the release, telling the PA news agency the problem was “far bigger than a member of staff”.
She said: “How could it possibly just be the responsibility of one single member of staff to decide whether to release or not a prisoner, or how to release a prisoner?”
Ms Goldman also told PA she had been “frustrated” by a lack of communication from HMP Chelmsford’s governor, Mark Howard, and said she was “struggling” not to call for him to resign.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said of the error: “Britain is broken.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Justice Secretary David Lammy should take responsibility for the blunder that led to Kebatu being accidentally released, Epping Forest’s Tory MP said.
Neil Hudson told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “This sounds like an operational error, but the buck has to stop somewhere, and it has to stop at the top, at the Justice Secretary, the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister.
“They have said that they are livid and appalled. Well, quite right, they should be livid and appalled. But that’s not good enough, and the Labour Government needs to get a grip of this issue.”
In the 12 months leading up to March this year, 262 prisoners were released in error in England and Wales, according to the prison service’s annual digest.
“This is a 128% increase from 115 the previous year, and the highest in the time series,” the report said.
“Of the 262 releases in error, 233 of these releases in error occurred from prison establishments, while 29 were released in error at the courts.”
A report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons following an inspection in January and February 2024 said that HMP Chelmsford faced “considerable pressures” because of “national capacity issues” while suffering staff shortfalls in reception and the pre-release team.
It stated: “Leaders had faced considerable pressures over the past year because of national capacity issues.
“The remand and unsentenced population had risen to almost 70% and the prison was now managing more admissions, transfers and immediate releases without additional resource.”
The report added: “The turnover of arrivals and releases was high and had increased by about a third in 2023 when compared with 2022.”
Sentencing Kebatu last month, a judge told him his behaviour “really highlights the poor regard you must have for women”.
The 38-year-old, who arrived in the UK on a small boat days before the incidents in July, told two teenagers he wanted to “have a baby with each of them” and attempted to kiss them, before going on to put his hand on one of the girls’ thighs and stroke her hair, his trial was told.
He was also found to have sexually assaulted a woman by trying to kiss her, putting his hand on her leg and telling her she was pretty.
The migrant was found guilty of five offences following a three-day trial at Chelmsford and Colchester magistrates’ courts in September.
The court heard at his sentencing hearing it was his “firm wish” to be deported.
It is understood the Home Office was ready to take him to an immigration removal centre before a planned deportation from the UK.
Kebatu’s case led to protesters and counter-protesters taking to the streets in Epping, Essex, and eventually outside hotels housing asylum seekers across the country.
