Footage posted on social media Friday depicts an individual, previously convicted of child assault, freely traversing a bustling thoroughfare.
The migrant, whose sexual assault of a child near an asylum hotel earlier this year ignited widespread protests across the UK, was inadvertently released from prison, prompting a police search and public outcry.
Hadush Kebatu, 41, received a 12-month prison sentence last month after being found guilty of two counts of sexual assault against a 14-year-old girl and a woman, along with additional charges. His offenses fueled nationwide demonstrations amidst growing public opposition to the UK’s continuing migrant influx crisis.
Following the emergence Friday of a video showing Kebatu at liberty on a busy street in Chelmsford, British Prime Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed his erroneous release.
“The erroneous release from His Majesty’s Prison (HMP) Chelmsford is entirely unacceptable,” he stated on X just hours after the news became public.
“Authorities are diligently working to locate him,” he further noted.
We suspect this individual is Hadush Ketabu, currently at large.
Ketabu is a convicted sex offender and previously resided at an Epping migrant hotel.
He was inadvertently discharged from prison; he was slated for transfer to an Immigration Detention Centre.This video was…
— Sydney Jones 🇬🇧 (POB) 🟣 (@JournoJones05)
The prison official overseeing the inmate’s discharge has been relieved of all responsibilities concerning the release of prisoners, as reported by the Guardian.
This event has heightened tensions in Epping, the location of Kebatu’s offenses, which previously led to nationwide disturbances earlier this year. Disgruntled residents assembled Friday outside the town’s migrant hotel, calling for the deportation of asylum seekers.
Growing anti-immigration feelings have consistently escalated into large-scale demonstrations across the UK in recent months, amidst the nation’s surge in undocumented entries. Government figures indicate that close to 600 migrants arrived by small boats in the past week alone.
In neighboring Ireland, a riot erupted earlier this week subsequent to the alleged sexual assault of a ten-year-old girl in proximity to a migrant hotel.