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Epping Victim Condemns Mistaken Release of Convicted Sex Offender as Home Office Confirms Deportation

Her statement underscores the fallout from his mistaken release, intensifying scrutiny of custody procedures.

Overview

  • The teenage girl told ITV News she felt “put in danger all over again” and said she had been told he received £500 to avoid a legal challenge to his removal.
  • Hadush Kebatu was convicted in September at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court of five sexual offences and given a 12‑month custody sentence.
  • He was wrongly freed from HMP Chelmsford instead of being transferred to an immigration removal centre, prompting a brief manhunt.
  • CCTV placed him in Dalston before Metropolitan Police officers arrested him in Finsbury Park, after which the Home Office deported him to Ethiopia on October 28 with no right to return.
  • An inquiry is under way into the mistaken release, as local anger persists over the Bell Hotel’s role in housing asylum seekers and the council pursues action over alleged planning breaches.