LONDON — London police said they arrested a convicted sex offender and asylum seeker who was mistakenly released from prison in a blunder that has embarrassed the government, reports BritPanorama.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that Ethiopian national Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu was apprehended in the Finsbury Park area of north London. Prime Minister Keir Starmer indicated that Kebatu would be deported as soon as possible.
Kebatu’s release in error garnered significant media attention, following his prior arrest earlier this year for the sexual assault of a teenage girl, which sparked hostile anti-migrant protests across London and other cities.
Authorities learned Friday afternoon that Kebatu had been inadvertently released from a prison in Chelmsford, Essex, where he was spotted boarding a train to London. Reports suggest he was wrongly classified as a prisoner eligible for release, rather than being transferred to an immigration detention centre.
The migrant had been sentenced to 12 months in prison in September for multiple offenses, including the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl in July near Epping, shortly after arriving in England by boat.
His actions led to thousands protesting outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, where he was temporarily housed with other newly arrived migrants. This sparked further demonstrations targeting hotels accommodating migrants in various British towns, attended by far-right activists, which at times resulted in unrest.
Counterprotests were organized by the group Stand Up to Racism in response to these demonstrations.
The Prison Service has removed the prison officer responsible for Kebatu’s discharge pending an investigation into this event.
Government officials labelled the wrongful release an “egregious failure.” Justice Secretary David Lammy announced an immediate strengthening of prisoner release checks, pledging to investigate what went wrong and establish accountability.
“This man was behind bars because of serious sex offenses,” Health Secretary Wes Streeting stated. “He is not meant to be in this country. What was supposed to be happening is he was meant to be transferred for deportation. So the idea that he’s loose on our streets is incredibly serious. It is a serious failure,” he told Sky News.
The matter of unauthorized migration, particularly the significant inflow of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, has become a pressing issue in British politics.
Statistics indicate that over 36,900 individuals have made the perilous journey from France to the UK this year, surpassing the total recorded for all of 2024. Attempts by British and French authorities to clamp down on people smuggling networks or dissuade migrant arrivals have largely been ineffective.
The government’s strategy of housing migrants in hotels awaiting asylum decisions has also faced intense scrutiny.
