Table of Contents
- Disrespect to the Victim's Family
- Government Response and Reactions
- Fear and Anxiety for the Victim
- Community Support
The family of a girl who was sexually assaulted by a migrant from the Epping hotel expressed that his £500 payment and improper release have been the “greatest level of disrespect” they could endure.
Hadush Kebatu, 41, received the cash this week, while his 14-year-old victim’s family is funding her counseling for the trauma she experienced.
The family of the girl assaulted by the Epping hotel migrant feels disrespected by his treatmentCredit: Sky News
Hadush Kebatu was given £500 cash as part of the deal to deport him to Ethiopia this weekCredit: PA
Speaking through Epping councillor Shane Yerrell, the girl's father stated, “The entire incident has been a saga. From receiving the phone call to the case, the sentencing, the accidental release, and the £500 payoff. It has been the greatest level of disrespect to me and my family.
“It feels as though the Government has rewarded him for his crimes. That’s how it appears to us.
“He walked away with £500 while we have received no contact or apology—absolutely nothing.”
Kebatu was arrested in July and released on October 24.
The father expressed, “I was shocked that (Justice Secretary) still found it in his cowardly nature to laugh when referred to as Calamity Lammy regarding all of this.
“These individuals are in charge of this country, and they are laughing in the faces of people discussing a sexual assault on a 14-year-old girl.”
The father learned of the situation through a call from his ex-wife and eldest daughter while driving home.
He remarked, “I had to pull over because I couldn’t process what they were saying. No parent should ever have to receive a call like that. I remember being filled with rage that a man had harmed my child and frightened her.”
After a journalist informed him that Kebatu had been seen on Chelmsford high street, the father rushed to the city’s jail to “demand answers.”
Kebatu was arrested in Finsbury Park on Sunday.
The girl refused to leave her house during the weekend he was on the run.
Her father added, “It reignited all the fear, worries, and those terrible feelings.
“She was terrified he would find her. Between the police and the prison service, they restored that fear in my child.
“I will hold them accountable for that for the rest of my life.”
He mentioned that his daughter’s school has let them down, claiming the headteacher held an assembly informing students they could interact with the residents of the migrant hotel.
He stated, “As a family, we are getting through this. I can’t thank Councillor Yerrell enough for all his support.
“We truly appreciate him. My daughter just wants to return to her normal self, doing what she loves—her artwork, singing, and being creative.”
Kebatu was spotted in Chelmsford after being mistakenly released from prison by the authoritiesCredit: X
He was later arrested in Finsbury Park in London after spending the weekend on the runCredit:
Kebatu’s victim’s family states that his weekend on the run was terrifying for the young girl he assaultedCredit: Sky News 
