In a significant lapse that has drawn widespread criticism, London police have re-arrested Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, a convicted sex offender and asylum-seeker who was erroneously released from prison. The Metropolitan Police confirmed that Kebatu, an Ethiopian national, was apprehended in the Finsbury Park area of north London and will be returned to the custody of the Prison Service. This incident has sparked outrage, particularly given Kebatu’s prior notoriety for a sexual assault case earlier this year that fueled anti-migrant protests across the UK. Authorities were alerted on Friday afternoon that Kebatu, 38, had been mistakenly released from a prison in Chelmsford, Essex, and was seen boarding a train to London. Reports indicate he was incorrectly categorized as a prisoner due for release rather than being transferred to an immigration detention center. Kebatu had been sentenced in September to 12 months in prison for multiple offenses, including the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl in Epping, just weeks after arriving in the UK by boat. His case has reignited debates over migration policies, with the government’s practice of housing asylum-seekers in hotels facing heavy scrutiny. The Prison Service has launched an investigation, and a prison officer involved in the error has been suspended. Health Secretary Wes Streeting condemned the incident as a ‘serious failure,’ emphasizing that Kebatu should have been deported rather than left at large. The episode has further intensified the already heated discourse on unauthorized migration in the UK.
London police arrest a sex offender and asylum-seeker mistakenly released from prison
