Justice secretary David Lammy is set to announce enhanced checks for prisoner releases after Hadush Kebatu was mistakenly freed from HMP Chelmsford. The Ethiopian national, who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl, was released on Friday morning instead of being transferred to an immigration detention centre. He was recaptured in Finsbury Park on Sunday after a two-day manhunt.
Lammy will face questions from MPs in parliament about the error and is expected to announce an independent inquiry. The communities secretary, Steve Reed, said the justice system was “broken” and that Lammy would announce “a strengthened series of checks”. Government figures show 262 prisoners were released in error in the year to March 2025, a 128% increase on the previous year.
Reed blamed the rise on staffing cuts under the previous Tory administration, saying “if the previous government cut the number of staff by a third, if they fail to build prison places, disasters will happen”. However, chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor said he had yet to see the detail of extra checks ordered for prison governors.
The father of Kebatu’s victim said he hoped the sex offender would be “deported immediately”. Lammy said that should happen after police questioning. A prison officer has been suspended pending investigation. Kebatu, who crossed the Channel in a small boat on 29 June, was convicted of five offences in September.
