❓WHAT HAPPENED: An Ethiopian asylum seeker convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl was released from prison, supposedly accidentally.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, a 38-year-old Ethiopian, and Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Justice David Lammy.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Kebatu was released from His Majesty’s Prison (HMP) Chelmsford in Essex after being jailed in September.
💬KEY QUOTE: “The Epping hotel migrant sex attacker has been accidentally freed rather than deported. He is now walking the streets of Essex. Britain is broken.” – Nigel Farage
🎯IMPACT: A major manhunt is underway to locate Kebatu, who was supposed to be deported.
An Ethiopian migrant convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in a case that sparked nationwide protests and riots in Britain, has been released from prison, supposedly by accident, prompting a nationwide manhunt and renewed scrutiny of the United Kingdom’s inept immigration and justice officials.
Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was sentenced to just 12 months in prison in September for the assaults, which occurred while he was staying at a hotel housing asylum seekers in Epping, Essex. He was meant to be transferred from His Majesty’s Prison (HMP) Chelmsford to an immigration detention centre for deportation following early release, but was let loose among the public “accidentally.” Police have launched a major search to locate him, with officers urging the public to report any sightings.
British Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, who also serves as Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice under Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, is reportedly furious over the incident. According to a government source, Lammy has “ordered an investigation” into how the release happened. The British Home Office and Ministry of Justice are also said to be reviewing procedures around the handling of foreign criminals awaiting deportation.
The case comes amid growing public anger over crime linked to asylum seekers and failures within the British immigration system. Earlier this year, protests erupted outside hotels used to house migrants following several high-profile incidents, including Kebatu’s initial arrest. In July, police in Essex ran over an anti-immigration protester during a demonstration sparked by outrage over the sex attack. The footage of the collision circulated widely on social media, fuelling further unrest.
In early August, the Metropolitan Police issued a 28-day protest ban after a group of mothers and children demonstrated outside a London hotel repurposed as asylum accommodation. Officers claimed the group’s behaviour “went well beyond protest to harassment.” A few weeks later, authorities prepared for what they described as the largest wave of anti-migration demonstrations in years, with more than 3,000 riot officers placed on standby across England and Wales.
The political fallout has been swift. Nigel Farage’s Reform Party has pledged to close down all migrant hotels if elected. Farage said his party would seek to end what he called “the migrant hotel racket” and enforce mass deportations of those in Britain illegally.
On Ketabu specifically, Farage commented, “The Epping hotel migrant sex attacker has been accidentally freed rather than deported. He is now walking the streets of Essex. Britain is broken.”
***Exclusive***
I have been sent footage, of who is believed to be the Epping migrant, Hadush Kebatu ,videod by a member of the public in Chelmsford City centre at midday today, and emailed to me.
I have permission to share.
He is wanted by Police. pic.twitter.com/5yqWry7C4X
— Adam Brooks AKA EssexPR 🇬🇧 (@EssexPR) October 24, 2025
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