The United Kingdom Police began a search operation this Friday (24) after the release, “by mistake”, of an Ethiopian immigrant convicted of sexual abuse in a prison in England. Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was due to be transferred to an immigration detention center before his deportation, but was instead released from Chelmsford Prison in Essex County.
According to the Ministry of Justice, the error occurred within the prison system and is being investigated internally. An employee was removed from his duties.
“We are working urgently with the Police to return this criminal to custody,” said a British Prison Service spokesperson, adding that “the protection of the public is the top priority.”
Kebatu had arrived in the UK irregularly in a dinghy across the English Channel and was sentenced in September to 12 months in prison for sexually abusing a woman and a 14-year-old girl in the eastern English town of Epping. The court also imposed a five-year sexual harm prevention order and forced him to register as a sex offender for a decade.
According to Essex Police, initial investigations showed that Kebatu boarded a London-bound train at Chelmsford station minutes before the error was reported to authorities.
“We understand the public’s concern and can assure you that our officers are working to locate and detain him urgently,” said a spokesperson for the corporation.
UK Justice Minister David Lammy said he was “shocked by the error of release” of the immigrant and ordered an immediate investigation into the case.
“We are working with the police to track him down, and I have ordered an urgent investigation. Kebatu must be deported for his crimes, not remain on our streets”, published Lammy on the social network
Kebatu’s release reignited criticism of the British Labor government’s migration policy. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch stated that “the whole system is collapsing under the leadership of the Labor Party”.
“[…] This man was recently convicted. It’s an unbelievable level of incompetence,” Badenoch added.
The leader of the right-wing nationalist Reform UK party, Nigel Farage, also reacted to the case, saying that the criminal immigrant now “walks the streets” calmly.
“Britain is broken,” said Farage, criticizing the Labor government. The case occurs amid public debate about the impact of illegal immigration in the country.
