Hadush Kebatu was mistakenly released from a 12-month prison sentence for sexually assaulting a teenage girl, despite the fact that his offences had sparked riots across England and Wales this summer. His recapture after a two-day manhunt has left mounting questions about the state of the Prison Service.
Who is Hadush Kebatu?
An Ethiopian asylum seeker who crossed the Channel on a small boat on 29 June, he was housed at the Bell hotel in Epping, Essex, which was being used as accommodation.
Eight days after his arrival, Kebatu made sexually explicit remarks to a 14-year-old girl who was eating a pizza with her friend in Epping town centre.
The next day, he sexually assaulted a woman, trying to kiss her. He also tried to kiss the same 14-year-old girl he had made remarks to the day before, having encountered her again by chance.
He was found guilty of two sexual assaults, harassing the girl, inciting her to engage in sexual activity and an attempted sexual assault and was sentenced to 12 months in prison in September followed by deportation. At his trial, Kebatu expressed a wish to be deported.
What happened at his release?
Prison sources said he was supposed to be sent to an immigration detention centre on Friday morning before a planned deportation, but was instead released from HMP Chelmsford in Essex, along with other prisoners.
A delivery driver said he saw Kebatu return to the prison multiple times over an hour and a half, “confused”, only to be turned away. He reportedly told prison officers that he was supposed to be deported, but was told to go towards the town centre.
Reports this weekend said that he was eventually pointed towards the train station by police officers.
Is this a growing problem across the prison estate?
Yes. A report from His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service said 262 prisoners in England and Wales were released in error between April 2024 and March 2025, up from 115 in the previous 12 months.
Charlie Taylor, HM chief inspector of prisons, said inexperienced staff were being left with large caseloads of work due to the high “churn” of people coming through the prison system, adding that the situation had been made more difficult by the implementation of various early release schemes rolled out in recent years.
Has this happened at HMP Chelmsford before?
Junead Ahmed, a convicted fraudster, was freed while on remand after the prison was sent a fake email purporting to be from the Royal Courts of Justice authorising his release. He was then freed.
The prison’s most recent inspection report, covering January to February 2024 at the Category B jail that houses 750 male inmates, highlighted some issues.
It mentioned “considerable pressures … because of national capacity issues” and noted staff shortages in reception and in the pre-release team.
How was he recaptured?
Kebatu, wearing a prison-issued grey tracksuit and carrying a clear bag including a copy of the Salvation Army magazine The War Cry, boarded a train to east London at 12.41. Sixteen minutes later, Essex police were alerted to his disappearance.
Footage then emerged of Kebatu asking the public for help in Chelmsford town centre. CCTV of him in a library in the fashionable east London neighbourhood of Dalston was also released. He was eventually spotted and arrested in Finsbury Park, north London at 8.30am on Sunday, wearing a change of clothes.
What was the reaction?
Kabatu’s victims and their families have expressed shock and concern. The MP for Chelmsford, Marie Goldman, has called for a rapid, national inquiry.
The Prison Service has since announced additional mandatory checks on prisoner releases – but prison staff and governors have said that the checks would increase their workload and slow down the system.
What will happen now?
David Lammy, the justice secretary, has said that Kebatu would be deported this week after being questioned over his release. Lammy will make a statement to MPs in parliament on Monday afternoon and set out a series of measures aimed at strengthening the system. He will face demands for a national inquiry into safety measures at prisons. Labour will say that many cuts to Prison Service resources that have affected security were introduced under consecutive Conservative-led governments.
