Ethiopian national Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu remains at large
An asylum seeker who was mistakenly released from prison returned in a ‘very confused state’ several times in a 90-minute period before staff sent him away to the railway station, a witness has said.
Ethiopian national Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu was jailed for 12 months in September for the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl and was freed from HMP Chelmsford instead of being sent to an immigration detention centre.
The Metropolitan Police, which is leading the manhunt for the migrant who had been living at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, made a direct appeal to Kebatu to hand himself in.
They revealed that he had taken a train from Chelmsford to Stratford, London, arriving at 1.12pm on Friday and then had taken “a number of journeys” across London and had “access to funds”. It is understood that Kebatu left prison with an amount of personal money.
A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said that he had not been given a discharge grant, which prisoners leaving a custodial sentence are entitled to in order to cover subsistence costs, because he was set to be deported. Inmates leaving prison for deportation do not qualify for the handout.
A delivery driver described seeing Kebatu return to HMP Chelmsford in a ‘very confused’ state ‘four or five times’, only to be turned away by prison staff and directed to the railway station.
The driver, named only as Sim, told Sky News that he saw Kebatu come out of the prison saying: “Where am I going? What am I doing?”
He said that Kebatu knew that he should be deported but the prison staff were “basically sending him away” and saying to him “Go, you’ve been released, you go”.
The driver said: “He kept scratching his head and saying, ‘where do I go, where do I go?’ “The fourth or fifth time (he went into the reception) he was starting to get upset, he was getting stressed.
“I’m not sticking up for the guy, but in my eyes, he was trying to do the right thing. He knew he was getting deported, but he didn’t know where he was going or how he should get there.”
A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman confirmed that the account was accurate.
Kebatu was spotted later in Chelmsford town centre asking for assistance before getting on a train to London. Commander James Conway, of the Metropolitan Police, said: “Mr Kebatu made his way to Chelmsford train station following his release from prison and boarded a train which departed at 12.42pm arriving in Stratford station at 1.12pm yesterday.
“Mr Kebatu was released wearing a prison-issued, grey tracksuit and holding a clear, plastic bag containing his possessions. He has since made a number of train journeys across the London area.
“We believe he has access to funds, and critically, in both Chelmsford and London, we believe he has sought assistance from members of the public, and has spoken to station staff.”
Mr Conway asked for members of the public who have provided Kebatu with assistance to contact them or anyone who sees him to call 999.
In a direct appeal to Kebatu, he added: “We want to locate you in a safe and controlled way. You had already indicated a desire to return to Ethiopia when speaking to immigration staff, the best outcome for you is to make contact directly with us by either calling 999 or reporting yourself to a police station.”
Stratford station is the fifth busiest in the UK, according to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), and has links to the London underground, London overground and Docklands Light Railway (DLR).
Sir Keir Starmer said he was “appalled” at the accidental release and said it was “totally unacceptable”, adding: “This man must be caught and deported for his crimes.”
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said he was “livid on behalf of the public” and added that he had launched an investigation.
A prison officer has been taken off duties to discharge prisoners while an investigation takes place. In the 12 months to March this year, 262 prisoners were released in error in England and Wales, according to the prison service’s annual digest which was a 128% increase from 115 the previous year with 233 involving prisons.
A report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons, after an inspection in January and February 2024, said HMP Chelmsford faced “considerable pressures” because of “national capacity issues” while suffering staff shortfalls in reception and the pre-release team.
Kebatu, who arrived in the UK on a small boat eight days before the incidents in July, was convicted of making inappropriate comments to a 14-year-old girl before he tried to kiss her on July 7 – just eight days after he arrived in the country on a small boat.
His trial also heard that a day later, he sexually assaulted a woman by trying to kiss her, putting his hand on her leg and telling her she was pretty.
This woman later called 999 after she spotted him being inappropriate to the same teenage girl whom he sexually assaulted while she was wearing her school uniform.
The migrant was found guilty of five offences after a three-day trial at Chelmsford and Colchester magistrates’ courts in September.
The court heard at his sentencing hearing that it was his “firm wish” to be deported. In court, Kebatu gave his date of birth through a translator as being in December 1986 making him 38 years old although Essex Police have said their records state his date of birth is in December 1983 making him 41.
It is understood the Home Office was ready to take him to an immigration removal centre before a planned deportation. Kebatu’s case led to protesters and counter-protesters taking to the streets in Epping, Essex, and eventually outside hotels housing asylum seekers across the country.
