British authorities have re-arrested Ethiopian asylum seeker and convicted sex offender Hadush Kebatu, whose release from prison on Friday triggered outrage and renewed debate over immigration control and government accountability.
London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed that Kebatu, 38, was apprehended in the Finsbury Park area of north London nearly 48 hours after his accidental release. Officers acted on a public tip-off that he had been spotted at a nearby bus stop.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the incident “unacceptable,” saying an immediate investigation had been launched to identify what went wrong. “We must ensure this never happens again,” he stated on X, adding that Kebatu will now be deported.
Kebatu had been serving a 12-month sentence for sexually assaulting a teenage girl and a woman in Epping, northeast of London. His case had earlier sparked anti-immigration protests across several English towns, alongside counter-demonstrations by pro-immigration groups.
According to The Telegraph, prison officials mistakenly categorised Kebatu for early release on licence and even handed him a £76 discharge grant. Reports suggest he appeared disoriented upon leaving Chelmsford Prison, asking staff where he should go. A delivery driver told Sky News that Kebatu seemed “confused” and tried to re-enter the facility multiple times before being turned away.
The victim’s father expressed anger over the blunder, telling reporters that the justice system had “let them down.”
Kebatu was initially arrested in July after attempting to kiss and touch a 14-year-old girl and making sexually explicit comments towards her. When an adult woman intervened, he assaulted her as well. At the time, Kebatu was living at Epping’s Bell Hotel, a site accommodating numerous asylum seekers and the focus of several protests.
The government’s investigation into the mistaken release continues, with pressure mounting on the Prison Service to explain how such an error could occur in a case already under public scrutiny.
