By Sheila McKenzie-
Migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu was swiftly deported to Ethiopia on Tuesday night, immediately following his unauthorized release from a UK prison last week. Footage captured from Heathrow Airport clearly showed the moment the convicted man was escorted onto the plane. The government has unequivocally stated that Kebatu possesses absolutely no right to return to the United Kingdom after this removal.
Moment Hadush Kebatu put on deportation flight. Pic: Sky News
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirmed the deportation with immediate effect, declaring she had “pulled every lever” to ensure the removal. Mahmood said, “I am pleased to confirm this vile child sex offender has been deported. Our streets are safer because of it,” marking a rapid end to a case that exposed serious operational failures within the prison system.
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Hadush Kebatu seen on the plane during his deportation flight. Pic: Sky News
Last month, Kebatu had been found guilty of sexually assaulting a schoolgirl and a woman in Epping, Essex, crimes committed barely a week after he arrived in the UK on a small boat. He was scheduled for deportation but, instead of being handed over to immigration officials as required, he was mistakenly released from HMP Chelmsford on Friday. The accidental release immediately sparked widespread public alarm and scrutiny.
Kebatu spent just under 48 hours at large before the Metropolitan Police successfully found and arrested him in the Finsbury Park area of North London early on Sunday morning. This incident, whose crimes provoked protests in Epping regarding the use of asylum hotels, prompted serious questions about how the man was able to walk free.
Anti-asylum demonstrators in Epping, Essex. Pic: PA
Responding to the security breach, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood publicly stated she fully shared the public’s intense anger over the situation. She insisted, “Last week’s blunder should never have happened – and I share the public’s anger that it did.”
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Following the arrest of the migrant sex offender deported to Ethiopia, Justice Secretary David Lammy attributed the unacceptable incident to “human error.” Lammy announced he had commissioned an “urgent review” into the critical checks that take place when any offender is released from custody. Lammy confirmed that an exclusive Sky News interview would also be used as part of an independent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the mistaken release.
The interview detailed how a delivery driver, who spoke to Kebatu at HMP Chelmsford, described him as seeming “confused” while prison staff guided him toward the railway station. The migrant reportedly returned to the prison reception area four or five times before leaving the vicinity and boarding a train heading to London. Lammy emphasised the severity of the failure, stating, “I have been clear from the outset that a mistake of this nature is unacceptable, and we must get to the bottom of what happened.”
To prevent future mistakes, Lammy ordered new safeguards: effective from Monday, these include five pages of detailed instructions and require sign-off by more senior prison staff before a release can be authorised, according to documents obtained by Sky News. This focus on enhanced procedure is intended to ensure no other migrant sex offender deported to Ethiopia or any other criminal is released in error.
The rapid deportation of the migrant sex offender deported to Ethiopia provides closure to the immediate public safety threat, but the political and systemic fallout continues to unfold. The Justice Secretary stressed the new safeguards represent the “strongest release checks that have ever been in place.” These measures, which involve multiple levels of senior review, were rushed through to restore confidence in the prison release system. The incident has intensified the debate over the government’s border policies and asylum accommodation strategies. Earlier this week, the government confirmed military barracks would be used to house asylum seekers, signalling a determined shift away from expensive asylum hotels.
The Prison Officers’ Association (POA), however, has warned ministers that it “will not accept any scapegoating of staff,” arguing they have consistently highlighted “a severe lack of training” over the last decade. This suggests that procedural failure may stem from deeper, systemic resource issues rather than simple human error. The independent inquiry, which will examine the precise chain of command and documentation that failed, is essential for truly fixing the underlying problems. While the immediate crisis is over now that the migrant sex offender deported to Ethiopia is out of the country, the government faces sustained pressure to ensure these new checks are rigorously enforced.
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