Epping migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu will be deported this week, Justice Secretary David Lammy has said.
The Ethiopian national was mistakenly freed from HMP Chelmsford on Friday morning instead of being transferred to an immigration detention centre, prompting a major manhunt.
Speaking to reporters outside Wood Green police station on Sunday, Mr Lammy said: "I can assure you that he will be deported as he was expected to be deported. I expect that to happen this week."
Mr Lammy thanked the various police forces involved, as well as members of the public, for helping to find Kebatu.
When asked why Kebatu will not be deported on Sunday evening, Mr Lammy said police had to question Kebatu on his movements since Friday.
Mr Lammy said he would be making a statement in Parliament on Monday and will address the terms of reference for a full independent inquiry when he speaks to the Commons.
"We need to get to the bottom of how this happened and why it happened, and, of course, on behalf of the public, I want to be reassured that it won't continue to happen and that the systems that we put in place, the checks and balances, are there to reassure the public,” he added.
Mr Lammy acknowledged that it will have been an "anxious time" for Kebatu's victims and their families, and for "many" women, adding: "I'm glad that we have brought that to an end."
Kebatu was found guilty of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in Epping and jailed for 12 months on September 23. During the trial, the court heard that it was Kebatu’s “firm wish” to be deported.
He was supposed to be transferred to an immigration detention centre, but due to a prison blunder, was released on Friday morning, leading to the manhunt.
Kebatu was seen in Dalston, east London on Friday evening, before a tip-off from a member of the public led to his arrest in Finsbury park on Sunday morning.
The mistaken release of Kebatu has been condemned by politicians and council leaders, including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer who described the mistake as “totally unacceptable”.
The father of Kebatu’s 14-year-old victim said the mistake had caused her "so much stress and anxiety" and condemned the error as "unbelievably irresponsible".
In a statement read out by Shane Yerrell, Independent councillor for Epping Forest District Council, the father said: "I am completely broken that the man who sexually assaulted my 14-year-old daughter just four months ago was accidentally released from prison onto the streets again.
"The trauma and torment my daughter has suffered since this assault has really hurt myself and my family.
"She was slowly starting to get some of her confidence back and has recently started seeing her closest friends and been back in school.
"Friday's news has caused her so much stress and anxiety. She feared seeing him again in the high road and him recognising her. I'm really worried for my daughter's mental health and wellbeing because of this assault.
"This man is a real danger to young women and children and for him to be wrongly released and walking the streets freely just four months after carrying out two sexual assaults, only five weeks after being sentenced, all because of a system failure on Friday is unbelievably irresponsible."
The teenager’s father went on to say that he feels “massively let down” by the authorities, including the police, the justice system and the Government. He also claims he was greeted with “hostility” when he sought answers from HMP Chelmsford.
“They have all failed, not just us as a family, but they have failed everyone in the country,” he said.
"I had to find out from a reporter that my daughter's attacker was accidentally released in the day, then be sent images and videos of him walking around throughout the day before the police even alerted her mother.
“Then later that day when I attended HMP Chelmsford to seek some answers I was greeted with hostility and complete disregard for anything I said or asked, totally disrespecting me and my family."
He continued: "I really hope that nobody else's child has to experience what my daughter has. I really feared that this could happen again while Hadush Kebatu was freely walking around the streets of Chelmsford and London over the weekend.
"I hope he will be deported immediately.
"If anything had happened to another child or female then that would have been on the heads of HMP Chelmsford, as well as the police and the justice system and our Labour Government."
Footage captured the dramatic moment Hadush Kebatu was led into a police van after being tracked down by officers in north London — two days after he was accidentally released from HMP Chelmsford.
Kebatu was arrested on Seven Sisters Road, near Finsbury Park, at around 8.30am on Sunday following a tip-off from a member of the public.
Commander James Conway, who oversaw the operation, said: “This has been a diligent and fast paced investigation led by specialist officers from the Metropolitan Police, supported by Essex Police and the British Transport Police.
“Information from the public led officers to Finsbury Park and following a search, they located Mr Kebatu. He was detained by police, but will be returned to the custody of the Prison Service.
“I am extremely grateful to the public for their support following our appeal, which assisted in locating Mr Kebatu.”
