A convicted child sex offender who was mistakenly released from prison after arriving in the UK on a small boat was given £500 of public money to secure his deportation to Ethiopia. Hadush Kebatu, 28, was flown back to his home country on Tuesday night with five escorts after officials approved the discretionary payment to prevent him from disrupting the flight.
Kebatu, an Ethiopian national, had been wrongly freed from HMP Chelmsford on Friday morning instead of being transferred to an immigration detention centre, triggering a two-day manhunt. He was convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman in Epping, Essex, and sentenced to 12 months in prison.
Speaking from Ethiopia, Kebatu claimed he had tried to hand himself in to police but was ignored. The Metropolitan Police disputed this, stating there was no evidence to support his claims and that his actions on the morning of his arrest appeared to be an attempt to avoid officers.
The Home Office confirmed the £500 payment was an operational decision by officials to facilitate his removal after Kebatu threatened to disrupt the flight. Downing Street said he had applied for a “facilitated return scheme” but was denied; however, the payment was approved to avoid more expensive rebooking or legal action.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she shared public anger over his release and had “pulled every lever” to remove him. Opposition MPs condemned the payment as “an absolute disgrace”, with Kemi Badenoch’s spokesperson calling for the UK to leave the European Convention on Human Rights and deport all foreign criminals without taxpayer payouts.
Kebatu arrived in the UK on a small boat on 29 June and was housed in Epping. His offences sparked public disorder outside the hotel where he was staying, and his case has highlighted concerns over irregular migration and criminal justice system failures.
