Hadush Kebatu, 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 as he was deported to Ethiopia. The payment was made after he raised the possibility of challenging his removal shortly before his flight.
Kebatu, an Ethiopian national, had sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl and a woman. He was wrongly freed from HMP Chelmsford on Friday morning instead of being sent to an immigration detention centre, triggering a two-day search. He was flown back to Ethiopia on Tuesday night with five escorts and no right to return to Britain.
Speaking from Ethiopia, Kebatu claimed he tried to hand himself in to police but was ignored. The Metropolitan Police said there was no evidence to support this, stating his actions were more like those of someone trying to avoid officers.
The £500 payment was approved by officials, not ministers, as an operational decision to facilitate his return after he threatened to disrupt the flight. The Home Office said the alternative would have been slower and more expensive, involving detention, new flights and potential legal claims.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she shared public anger over his release and had 'pulled every lever' to remove him. The Conservatives described the payment as an 'absolute disgrace', with a spokesperson for Kemi Badenoch saying foreign criminals should not receive taxpayers' money to leave the country.
Kebatu arrived in the UK on 29 June and was housed in Epping. Eight days later, he made sexually explicit remarks to a 14-year-old girl and sexually assaulted a woman. He was sentenced to 12 months in prison for two sexual assaults, harassment, inciting sexual activity and attempted sexual assault.
