An Ethiopian asylum seeker and convicted sex offender has been deported after being accidentally freed from prison, sparking government investigation.
LONDON: The UK has deported an Ethiopian asylum seeker and convicted sex offender who was mistakenly released from prison in an embarrassing government error.
Hadush Kebatu arrived back in Ethiopia after being removed from the UK with no right to return, the interior ministry confirmed Wednesday.
The 38-year-old had served the first month of a one-year sentence for sexually assaulting a teenage girl and a woman.
He was reportedly due for deportation when the Prison Service error occurred on Friday, leading to a nearly 48-hour police manhunt before his re-arrest on Sunday.
Kebatu’s high-profile case in Epping, northeast of London, earlier sparked multiple demonstrations targeting hotels housing asylum seekers, along with counter-protests.
“Last week’s blunder should never have happened – and I share the public’s anger that it did,” said Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.
Justice minister David Lammy announced an independent investigation into the mistake on Monday, revealing such mistaken releases had increased in recent years.
Kebatu was originally arrested in July while living at the Bell Hotel in Epping, which became the target of violent protests for housing numerous asylum seekers.
The hotel faces a legal challenge from the local council opposing its use for asylum accommodation.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office announced Tuesday the government would consider former military sites to house asylum seekers instead of hotels.
Starmer said he wanted asylum seeker hotels closed “as quickly as possible,” with his Labour government committed to ending hotel use for this purpose by 2029.
The Cameron Barracks in northeastern Scotland and Crowborough army camp in southeast England have been earmarked to house around 900 asylum seekers by year’s end.
The policy change follows a parliamentary report finding the Home Office had “squandered billions” on a flawed asylum housing system across governments.
Using former military camps for asylum housing has proven contentious previously.
The previous Conservative government was sued by asylum seekers housed in a former army camp that courts determined failed to meet minimum standards. – AFP
