The search for a migrant sex offender who was mistakenly released took a bizarre turn yesterday when it came to light that prison staff had provided him with directions to the nearest train station.
Hadush Kebatu, who had been imprisoned for the sexual assault of a teenage girl, was supposed to be transferred from HMP Chelmsford to an immigration detention center on Friday to facilitate his deportation.
However, due to an astonishing oversight, the criminal—whose crimes had incited protests at The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, and across the nation earlier this year—was set free, prompting a police pursuit involving three separate forces.
It has now been disclosed that correctional officers instructed the 38-year-old Ethiopian to travel to the detention center independently.
A delivery driver recounted to Sky News, “I overheard one of the officers explaining, ‘Here’s how you get to the station, just go down this way…’ They directed him to the station and mentioned he needed to catch a train to reach the destination… This exchange happened right in front of the prison.”
In an even more perplexing twist last night, Kebatu lingered outside the prison for over an hour and a half, seemingly unsure of his next steps or where he should head.
The driver, who was delivering equipment to the prison, said: ‘[The officers] were basically sending him away, saying, “Go, you’ve been released, you go”.’
Kebatu was last seen boarding Friday’s 12.41pm train from Chelmsford to London Liverpool Street after apparently seeking help from a woman and persuading her to pay for his ticket.
A CCTV image issued by the Metropolitan Police (pictured) shows Hadush Kebatu in Dalston, London, on Saturday night
Video footage (above) appeared to capture Kebatu in Chelmsford town centre asking for directions from locals
The sex offender (pictured) was accidentally freed from HMP Chelmsford on Friday morning by bungling staff after serving just a month of his 12-month sentence for preying on a schoolgirl
He got off at Stratford Station in east London after 30 minutes and then disappeared. Police believe he has also sought help from the public in London. The debacle has left Labour facing fresh questions about its handling of the migrant crisis.
It comes amid a backlash against efforts to tackle illegal migration after a man who was deported under the ‘one in, one out’ scheme with France reappeared on UK shores having crossed the Channel again in a small boat.
Tory MP for Epping Forest, Neil Hudson, called Kebatu’s release a ‘catastrophic mistake’ which had ‘deeply distressed, upset and angered’ the whole community, adding that ‘accountability must go right to the top’.
Even after being set free, Kebatu kept going ‘back and forth’ into the prison reception area seeking help and showing staff a wad of paperwork about his case, according to the driver.
‘I’m not sticking up for the guy but in my eyes he wanted to do the right thing and go to the right place,’ he said.
‘He knew he was getting deported but he didn’t know where to go or how he should get there. He kept scratching his head and saying, “Where do I go, where do I go?”‘
He added that the officers had no interest in helping him, saying, ‘You’re released, you’re released’.
Kebatu was jailed for a year last month after assaulting his 14-year-old victim. During his trial, Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court heard that he acted ‘ignorantly and repulsively’.
The migrant became aroused as he put his hand on the girl’s thighs and stroked her hair despite knowing ‘full well she was only 14’. He said he wanted to have a baby with her and invited her back to The Bell Hotel, where he was living.
Kebatu then tried to kiss a woman who attempted to intervene, before putting his hand on her leg and telling her she was pretty.
Met Police Commander James Conway urged Kebatu to give himself up, saying: ‘We want to locate you in a safe and controlled way. You had already indicated a desire to return to Ethiopia when speaking to immigration staff. The best outcome for you is to make contact directly with us.’
He said the asylum seeker had taken ‘a number of journeys’ across London since his release on Friday and had ‘access to funds’.
