A former asylum seeker who was released from prison in error after sexually assaulting a woman and a 14-year-old girl has been spotted “in the London area” after officers worked through the night to track his movements, Essex police said.
The Ethiopian national Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu was jailed for 12 months in September for sexual assault and made the subject of a five-year sexual harm prevention order.
The 41-year-old was meant to be sent to an immigration detention centre to be deported but was freed by mistake, it has emerged.
Kebatu was found guilty of five offences last month after attempting to kiss a 14-year-old girl twice, before sexually assaulting her, and sexually assaulting a woman and trying to kiss her too.
He committed the offences just days after arriving in the UK on a small boat and taking up residence at the Bell hotel in Epping. His case triggered protests outside the hotel, which far-right activists sought to exploit, leading to assaults on police officers and 32 arrests.
At his trial, the district judge Christopher Williams said Kebatu posed a “significant risk of reoffending” and sentenced him to 12 months in prison.
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.
Cmdr James Conway, of the Metropolitan police, said finding Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu is a “top priority” for the force.
“The manhunt is being led by an experienced senior investigating officer. He has teams from the Specialist Crime Command with expertise in tracking down wanted people at his disposal, as well as other resources from across the Met.
We’ve confirmed that Kebatu got off the London-bound train at Stratford station.
We are examining CCTV from that area and further afield, including on the transport network, to establish information about his subsequent movements.
We will provide further updates when we can, but I hope the press and the public will understand why it would be unhelpful to the effectiveness of the manhunt if we were to provide a detailed running commentary.
Anyone who sees Kebatu, or has information about his whereabouts, should call 999 immediately.
The Metropolitan police has taken over a manhunt for convicted sex offender Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, as there is a “high level of confidence” that the asylum seeker is in the London area.
Kebatu, who was released in error from HMP Chelmsford on Friday, boarded a train for London and got off at Stratford station, the force said.
As a result, the manhunt was transferred from Essex police to the Met shortly after 11.30am on Saturday.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: theguardian.com
