By Sammy Jones-
Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy publicly confirmed today that an urgent, independent investigation would scrutinize the accidental freeing of Hadush Kebatu, a migrant previously jailed for sex offences. Addressing Members of Parliament, Lammy squarely attributed the shocking incident to “human error,” assuring the House of Commons that he was “livid” on behalf of Kebatu’s victims.
David Lammy. ‘There must be accountability’. Pic: Sky News
He committed to deporting the offender back to Ethiopia “as quickly as possible.” This high-profile operational failure occurred on Friday at HMP Chelmsford in Essex. Kebatu, who was convicted in September for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and another woman in Epping, was mistakenly released instead of being transferred to immigration officials for mandatory deportation.
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This accidental freeing immediately triggered widespread public alarm and an extensive manhunt lasting over a day. The search concluded successfully early Sunday morning when the Metropolitan Police located and arrested Kebatu in the Finsbury Park area of London. The incident has intensified public scrutiny concerning the security protocols within the Prison Service, particularly regarding the handling of foreign national offenders.
Lammy, speaking in the House of Commons, acknowledged unequivocally that the mistake should never have occurred. He vowed there “must and there will be accountability” for the shocking migrant sex offender release blamed on human error.
Furthermore, the Justice Secretary stated that he had already ordered an “urgent review” into the internal checks governing offender releases from prison.
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A comprehensive, independent investigation will now thoroughly examine the systematic failures which led to the migrant sex offender release blamed on human error. Lammy announced that former Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner Dame Lynne Owens, who previously served as the head of the National Crime Agency, will lead this critical inquiry. The investigation holds the same high status as previous high-profile probes, including the review into Daniel Khalife’s escape from HMP Wandsworth in 2023.
Lammy emphasized the necessity of understanding the full sequence of events to prevent future occurrences, stressing the importance of protecting the public from harm. He stated clearly, “We must get to the bottom of what happened and take immediate action to try and prevent similar releases in error.”
To immediately mitigate risks, Lammy confirmed that new, stringent safeguards have already been implemented across the prison estate. These measures, effective from Monday, involve detailed, five-page instructions for staff. Importantly, the new process requires more senior prison officials to sign off on any release, establishing the strongest release checks that have ever been in place, according to documents obtained by Sky News.
These necessary procedural changes aim to ensure such a catastrophic migrant sex offender release blamed on human error cannot happen again. The focus is to repair the profound damage to public confidence caused by the operational blunder and to guarantee that deportation procedures are followed without fail.
The failure immediately ignited a major political firestorm, with Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick launching a blistering attack on his government counterpart. Jenrick wasted no time in branding Lammy “calamity Lammy,” calling the incident a “national embarrassment” and accusing the Justice Secretary of merely “feigning anger.”
Jenrick cited a Sky News report detailing a bizarre sequence of events at HMP Chelmsford; a witness present at the prison observed Kebatu appearing “confused” upon his release. The released offender apparently tried to re-enter the prison multiple times but was instead directed toward Chelmsford station, where he subsequently caught a train to London.
“Having been mistakenly released, Hadush Kebatu came back to prison asking to be deported not once, not twice, but five times, but he was turned away,” Jenrick exclaimed during his parliamentary address. He claimed the case proved that “the only illegal migrants this government are stopping are those that actually want to leave the UK.”
The severity of this migrant sex offender release blamed on human error led Jenrick to demand accountability, directly asking Lammy if he would resign if Kebatu was not deported by the end of the week. Lammy offered no immediate reply to the resignation demand.
However, when later asked by another MP whether he was considering his position, the Justice Secretary summarily dismissed the question as “ridiculous,” stating his answer was a definitive “no.” The government now faces immense pressure to secure Kebatu’s swift removal to Ethiopia and to prove the new safeguards are effective in preventing another serious error.
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