Image source, Crown Prosecution Service/PA Media

As we've been reporting, Kebatu was sentenced to 12 months in September having been convicted of sexually assaulting a woman and a 14-year-old girl in Epping, among other charges.

Passing the sentence, District Judge Christopher Williams said Kebatu had "poor regard" for women and added that he posed "a significant risk of reoffending".

His defence barrister told the court at the time that Kebatu's firm wish at the time was "to be deported as soon as possible".

The case attracted a lot of media attention after a number of protests were held outside of The Bell Hotel - where Kebatu was staying at the time of the offences.

The protests themselves resulted in some arrests, and the case has sparked debate about how asylum seekers are housed.

The hotel itself became the centre of a legal battle involving Epping Forest District Council and the Home Office as the council sought to block migrants lodging there. A High Court hearing has concluded but a written judgement has not yet been published.

Image source, Crown Prosecution Service/PA

29 June: Ethiopian national Hadush Kebatu arrives in the UK on a small boat having travelled through Sudan, Libya, Italy and France.

7 July: Kebatu makes sexually explicit remarks to a 14-year-old who was eating a pizza with her friend in Epping town centre.

8 July: He sexually assaults a woman, trying to kiss her. He does the same to the girl he sexually assaulted the day before, whom he encounters by chance. The woman, when seeing Kebatu with the girl, calls 999. He is arrested overnight.

10 July: Kebatu denies charges of sexual assault, appearing at Chelmsford Magistrates Court for the first time.

26 August: Kebatu's trial begins.

27 August: The asylum seeker denies the offences, telling the trial: "I'm not a wild animal".

4 September: Kebatu is found guilty of two counts of sexual assault, one count of attempted sexual assault, one count of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity, and one count of harassment without violence.

23 September: Kebatu is sentenced to 12 months in prison and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years. He's also told he's facing deportation.

24 October: Kebatu is accidentally released from HMP Chelmsford instead of being sent to an immigration detention centre to be deported.

25 October: Essex Police says officers are working with the Metropolitan Police and British Transport Police as Kebatu is believed to be in the London area.

26 October: Met Police confirms that Kebatu has been rearrested in the Finsbury Park area of London, bringing to an end a two-day manhunt.

Number of prisoners released in error at record highpublished at 16:04 GMT 27 October

16:04 GMT 27 October

By Lucy Gilder

Convicted sex offender Hadush Kebatu is one of hundreds of criminals to have been mistakenly released by the justice system in recent years.

These cases are different from an escape, which is when a prisoner intends to run from authorities.

There were 262 "releases in error" in England and Wales in the year ending March 2025, according to the latest Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures, external.

This is the highest on record and up 128% on the year before. It’s also much higher than a decade ago, when 49 prisoners were mistakenly released.

The MoJ says these releases in error from prison or courts can happen because of "misplaced warrants for imprisonment or remand, recall notices not acted upon, sentence miscalculation or discharging the wrong person on escort".

Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor told the BBC's Today programme one major factor is how busy prisons are with "incredibly high" turnover of prisoners going to court, being transferred to other jails or being released.

He also suggested that confusion caused by various early release schemes and inexperienced staff taking on large caseloads are to blame.

Sima Kotecha
Senior UK correspondent

Following the manhunt for Kebatu, Justice Secretary David Lammy ordered an "immediate strengthening" of release checks in prisons.

HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) is now introducing new and mandatory procedures for prison releases.

The duty governor, who is responsible for the daily secure operation of the prison, will be required to complete additional checks the evening before a release.

Governors will need to provide assurance that the procedure is in place from today. But senior prison staff tell me this is just adding more to their workload.

They argue the paperwork required to release someone is already at optimum levels and this will only increase pressure on a system that is already struggling to cope.

There is anger among some staff over why they weren’t consulted about these plans before being announced.

One asked whether it was a "knee-jerk reaction" from the government to show something was being done in light of the mistake to release Kebatu.

Ethiopian national Hadush Kebatu arrived in the UK on a small boat on 29 June having travelled through Sudan, Libya, Italy and France.

He claimed asylum and was housed at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, which was used to accommodate migrants.

In September, Chelmsford Magistrates' Court heard Kebatu tried to kiss a 14-year-old girl on a bench in Epping, and made numerous sexually explicit comments, on 7 July.

The following day, he encountered the same girl and tried to kiss her before sexually assaulting her. He also sexually assaulted a woman who had offered to help him create a CV to find work.

Kebatu's arrest had sparked protests outside The Bell Hotel.

After being found guilty of five offences, he was sentenced to 12 months and given a five-year sexual harm prevention order, which banned him from approaching or contacting any female.

After his sentencing, prison sources said Kebatu was meant to be sent to an immigration detention centre from HMP Chelmsford ahead of a planned deportation, but he was accidentally released instead.

Justice Secretary David Lammy has said Kebatu should be deported this week.

Image source, Essex Police

In the next 45 minutes, Justice Secretary David Lammy is expected to face Parliament over the mistaken release of migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu.

Kebatu was freed from HMP Chelmsford on Friday, when he should have been sent to an immigration detention centre, ahead of deportation.

He reportedly tried to return to the prison multiple times only to be turned away and directed to the railway station.

After multiple spotting across London's East End, he was ultimately located in Finsbury Park yesterday and rearrested.

Lammy is expected to announce a full independent inquiry into how Kebatu came to be released when he faces MPs this afternoon.

He's already called for an "immediate strengthening" of release checks in prisons - with HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) now requiring duty governors to complete additional mandatory checks on prisoners the night before a release.

Stay with us as we bring you full coverage and analysis of the justice secretary's statement and reaction.