The Ethiopian asylum seeker, jailed for sexual assault and due to be deported, was wrongly freed instead
Hadush Kebatu was mistakenly released from a 12-month prison sentence for sexually assaulting a teenage girl, despite the fact that his offences had sparked riots across England and Wales this summer. His recapture after a two-day manhunt has left mounting questions about the state of the Prison Service.
An Ethiopian asylum seeker who crossed the Channel on a small boat on 29 June, he was housed at the Bell hotel in Epping, Essex, which was being used as accommodation.
Eight days after his arrival, Kebatu made sexually explicit remarks to a 14-year-old girl who was eating a pizza with her friend in Epping town centre.
The next day, he sexually assaulted a woman, trying to kiss her. He also tried to kiss the same 14-year-old girl he had made remarks to the day before, having encountered her again by chance.
