The Prison Officers' Association (POA) has revealed that five other prisoners were mistakenly released in the same week a convicted Ethiopian sex offender was allowed to walk free from HMP Chelmsford in Essex. The union cited staff shortages and confusion over early release schemes as driving factors behind the surge in errors.
Last Friday, Hadush Kebatu was incorrectly freed after being sentenced to 12 months for sexually assaulting a woman and a 14-year-old girl while living in an asylum hotel in Epping. He was recaptured in north London after a two-day manhunt.
POA chair Mark Fairhurst told the BBC that the five additional mistaken releases occurred at HMP Pentonville, HMP Durham, HMP the Mount in Hertfordshire, and from Reading crown court. One prisoner remains at large, according to PA news agency.
Fairhurst described the erroneous releases as a 'regular occurrence' over the past year, blaming inadequate staff training and confusion caused by early release schemes introduced to tackle overcrowding. He defended the suspended officer involved in Kebatu's case, calling the suspension unfair.
Justice Secretary David Lammy said Kebatu's release was due to 'human error' and announced stronger checks at prisons nationwide. Ministry of Justice figures show 262 prisoners were released in error in the year to March 2025, a 128% increase on the previous year.
