National Manhunt Underway After Convicted Sex Offender Released from Prison ‘In Error’

LONDON / CHELMSFORD – A major manhunt is underway across London and Essex after Ethiopian asylum seeker Hadush Kebatu, a convicted sex offender, was mistakenly released from HMP Chelmsford on Friday instead of being transferred to an immigration detention center for deportation.

Kebatu, 41, who was jailed for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman in Essex, is now “at large” in London, according to Justice Secretary David Lammy. Police forces, including the Metropolitan Police, British Transport Police (BTP), and Essex Police, are collaborating urgently to locate him.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and other politicians have condemned the blunder, with Starmer calling the release “totally unacceptable.”

Kebatu was sentenced to 12 months in prison in September for five offences, including two counts of sexual assault. Under the UK Borders Act 2007, his sentence mandated a deportation process.

The Error: Essex Police confirmed Kebatu boarded a London-bound train at Chelmsford station at 12:41 on Friday. The Prison Service notified the force of the “error” just 16 minutes later, at 12:57, triggering the search.

Systemic Failure: The Prison Service has removed an officer from duty and launched an investigation. However, former prison governor John Podmore suggested the fault lies with a “broken system,” stating that moving prisoners involves “fairly complicated” procedures with multiple required checks.

Political Response: The release has drawn fierce political criticism. Prime Minister Starmer demanded Kebatu “must be caught and deported for his crimes.” Conservative MP Neil Hudson said the buck must “stop at the top” with the Justice Secretary and Prime Minister. Liberal Democrat MP for Chelmsford Marie Goldman called for a public inquiry, warning that if this “sort of thing can happen at Chelmsford then it is very likely that it can happen elsewhere.”

Justice Secretary Lammy said he was “appalled” and “livid on behalf of the public,” acknowledging the gravity of the error given Kebatu’s crimes.

Kebatu, who arrived in the UK on a small boat, was arrested in July after the assaults, which sparked protests outside the Epping hotel where he had been living.

During his September trial, Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court heard he had tried to kiss and sexually assaulted the teenage girl, and also sexually assaulted a woman who was trying to help him find work. The court heard it was Kebatu’s “firm wish” to be deported to his home country.

The incident highlights a growing problem: a report from His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service found that 262 prisoners in England and Wales were released in error between April 2024 and March 2025, more than double the number from the previous year.