THE father of a teenage girl who was sexually assaulted by an Epping hotel migrant has spoken out after his accidental release.
was meant to be sent to an detention centre to be deported “within days” but was instead, The Sun revealed yesterday.
A manhunt was sparked after Hadush Kebatu was accidentally releasedCredit: X
The father of a teenage girl who was sexually assaulted by the criminal said he feels ‘let down’Credit: X
Kebatu was supposed to be sent to an immigration detention centre to be deported ‘within days’Credit: PA
The blunder sparked a frantic manhunt, which continues into its second day, for the Ethiopian national who is “at large in London”, according to Justice Secretary David Lammy.
He was jailed after being convicted of sexually assaulting a schoolgirl in Epping, leading to nationwide protests outside of migrant hotels.
The criminal, understood to be an “escape risk”, was spotted yesterday along Chelmsford High Street before getting on a train at Chelmsford railway station to .
Convicted sex offender Kebatu was seen making his way along the town centre street – still wearing his prison issue grey tracksuit – and clutching a clear bag filled with possessions.
Footage, reportedly filmed a mere three-minute walk from the local police station, showed casually asking men for directions.
The Ethiopian, who was convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old, was only in prison for a matter of weeks before he was accidentally released.
He was released on the expectation that he would be picked up by immigration enforcement for deportation – due on a flight out of the country “within days”, it is understood.
It is unclear what happened next.
The father of Kebatu’s young victim spoke out in the wake of the monumental blunder.
He told Sky News he felt “let down” by the authorities and was left “frustrated” thinking that Kebatu had managed to escape custody.
The father went on to say: “The justice system has let us down.”
It has also been revealed police failed to contact the schoolgirl victim or her family as they embarked on the manhunt.
Officers also told Chelmsford residents, from station staff to eyewitnesses, to “keep quiet” about the search for Kebatu.
A friend of her father told The Sun: “It’s appalling that the state didn’t even bother to tell the teenage girl and her family that the predator who attacked her was looming large.”
Station staff said officers instructed them not to speak about the search, while a homeless man, Steve, said: “The police asked me at around three if I’d seen the man, they seemed stressed, man.
“I got they didn’t want people to freak out, but it was blooming obvious with all the sirens around by that point.
“I also think they were trying to hide it from the press.”
Police said in an update: “We were informed by the prison service at 12.57pm today of an error this morning surrounding the release of an individual.
“As a result of that, we have launched a search operation to locate them and are working closely with partner agencies.
“These fast-paced enquiries have shown that the man boarded a London-bound train at Chelmsford Railway Station at 12.41pm.
Police bodycam footage from Kebatu’s arrestCredit: PA
He was found guilty of touching and trying to kiss a schoolgirl in Epping on 7 and 8 JulyCredit: PA
“We understand the concern the public would have regarding this situation and can assure you we have officers working to urgently locate and detain him.
“We would appeal to anyone who has seen him or has any information regarding where he might be to call 999 immediately and quote 0474 of 24 October.”
Prime Minister said: “The mistaken release at HMP Chelmsford is totally unacceptable. I am appalled that it has happened and it’s being investigated.
“The police are working urgently to track him down, and my government is supporting them.
“This man must be caught and deported for his crimes.”
TIMELINE
- Kebatu released in the morning (likely sometime between 9am and 11am)
- 12.07pm Videoed outside Pret on Chelmsford HIgh Street
- 12.41pm Catches train to London Liverpool STreet but could have got off at Stratford or Shenfield.
- 12.58pm Police notified of the mistake.
- 1.18pm – Train arrives in London Liverpool St – could have got off at Shenfield 12.51pm or Stratford 1.10pm.
- 4.45pm The Sun broke it.
- 5.57pm The prison officer had been suspended
- Around 6pm the father’s victim turned up at the police station demanding answers
Justice Secretary is understood to be “furious” at Kebatu’s release and is working with to find the criminal.
A senior justice source said: “He has been released in error – this is the mother of all f**k ups. It is down to human error, with the wrong paperwork on it or something.
“David Lammy is aware – and is furious.”
Reform leader was seething at the news, he said: “The Epping hotel migrant sex attacker has been accidentally freed rather than deported.
“He is now walking the streets of Essex. Britain is broken.”
A was taken off duties of discharging lags after news of the accidental release broke.
Number of prisoners released in error has more than doubled
The number of prisoners released in error more than doubled in the year to March 2025, Government data shows.
A report by His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) said 262 prisoners were released in error from April 2024 to March 2025, up from 115 in the year to March 2024.
HMPPS said in the report that releases in error “remain infrequent” and believes the rise is linked to changes in the law, and the early release scheme which Labour introduced in September 2024.
Thousands of inmates have been freed early since then in a bid to cut jail overcrowding, by temporarily reducing the proportion of sentences which some prisoners must serve behind bars in England and Wales from 50% to 40%.
A number of the 262 were released in error when the early release scheme began, HMPPS said, because of an issue with a repealed breach of restraining order offence.
Those prisoners were rearrested and returned to custody, the report, published this summer, said.
Prisoners are considered “released in error” if they are wrongly discharged from prison or court, and it can happen when a sentence is miscalculated or the wrong person is discharged, among other reasons.
HMPPS said year on year changes in the number of prisoners released in error “should be considered in the context of the number of releases in the same time period and changes in the operational environment.”
It is understood that an investigation into the blunder is underway.
A Prison Service spokesperson said: “We are urgently working with police to return an offender to custody following a release in error at HMP Chelmsford.
“Public protection is our top priority and .”
Kebatu was jailed after he was found guilty of touching and trying to kiss a schoolgirl in Epping on 7 and 8 July.
He had only been in prison for four weeks after being jailed in September 23.
His arrest led to a wave of demonstrations outside The Bell Hotel, where he was staying as an asylum seeker from .
Kebatu, 41, put his hand on the teen’s thigh, tried to kiss her, and told her he wanted to marry her while she was wearing her school uniform.
Kebatu’s arrest sparked nationwide protests outside migrant hotelsCredit: PA 
