A migrant who was inadvertently freed from custody has been located in north London and re-arrested following a significant search operation, according to the Metropolitan Police.
Hadush Kebatu was discovered in the Finsbury Park area around 08:30 GMT on Sunday, just two days after his wrongful release from HMP Chelmsford.
Kebatu had been sentenced the previous month for sexually assaulting both a 14-year-old girl and a woman in Epping while he resided in an asylum hotel. He was mistakenly released rather than taken into custody for deportation.
The Metropolitan Police stated that Kebatu was re-arrested and “will be returned to the custody of the Prison Service.”
Cmd James Conway, who led the search for Kebatu, remarked: “This has been a thorough and rapid investigation carried out by specialist officers from the Metropolitan Police, with support from Essex Police and British Transport Police (BTP).”
“Tips from the public directed officers to Finsbury Park, where they successfully located Mr. Kebatu after conducting a search.”
“I’m incredibly appreciative of the community’s help following our appeal, which played a crucial role in finding Kebatu.”
Essex Police were informed of Kebatu’s erroneous release at 12:57 on Friday; however, he had already boarded a train to east London just 16 minutes prior.
CCTV footage captured him at a library in the Dalston area on Friday evening, dressed in a gray prison tracksuit and carrying a white bag adorned with images of avocados.
Kebatu’s arrest in July led to protests outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, where he had been staying since arriving in the UK on a small boat.
In September, Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court heard that Kebatu attempted to kiss a teenage girl on a bench and made numerous sexually explicit remarks.
The following day, he confronted the same girl again, trying to kiss her before sexually assaulting her. He had also sexually assaulted a woman who offered to assist him in writing a CV for job applications.
Kebatu claimed to be 38 during a court hearing, but a judge noted evidence suggesting he was actually 41.
He denied the accusations, but was found guilty of five offenses last month and given a 12-month custodial sentence, which included the time he had already spent in jail awaiting trial. Overall, he had served 108 days in prison.
Additionally, Kebatu was issued a five-year sexual harm prevention order that forbids him from approaching or contacting any females and required him to register as a sex offender for a decade.
During his trial, it was noted that Kebatu had a “firm wish” to be deported. According to the UK Borders Act 2007, a deportation order is mandatory when a foreign national is convicted of a crime and sentenced to a custodial term of at least 12 months.
Justice Secretary David Lammy has mandated an independent inquiry into Kebatu’s release, while HM Prison Service has instructed governors in England and Wales to enhance verification processes prior to the release of inmates by Monday.
A prison officer has been suspended pending further investigation; however, a senior prison official told BBC News that the release was the result of numerous errors likely due to staffing shortages and workloads.
They added: “It would be unjust to hold only one prison officer accountable for this situation.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting expressed relief over Kebatu’s arrest, stating he will “now be deported.”
He continued: “The Justice Secretary has called for an investigation into how such a dangerous individual slated for deportation ended up being released back into the community.”
“That inquiry is already in progress, and we will ensure transparency about what went wrong and the measures we will take moving forward.”
He had previously stated that the Prison Service was under immense strain, “but even in that context, it does not justify or excuse allowing individuals who have no business being on our streets to be released.”
