Migrant sex offender tried 'five times' to hand himself in after mistakenly being released

A migrant sex offender who is wanted by police tried to hand himself in after wrongly being released from prison. Hadush Kebatu, who was previously jailed for 12 months for sexually assaulting a teenage girl in Epping, was released in error from Chelmsford Prison instead of being handed over to officials for deportation.

The 41-year-old reportedly tried "four or five times" to return to prison and seemed "confused" after his release. According to a witness, called Sim, Kebatu was repeatedly turned away by prison guards who directed him to Chelmsford train station in order to get a train to London. Sim, who was delivering equipment to the prison, said the migrant approached him and asked: "Where am I going?"

As reported by the Telegraph, Kebatu was last seen in the Dalston area of Hackney, east London, shortly before 8pm on Friday (October 24). The Metropolitan Police are urging the migrant to turn himself in, saying in an appeal: "We want to locate you in a safe and controlled way."

The police added that Kebatu was "still wearing his prison-issue grey tracksuit top and bottoms" and carrying a "distinctive white bag with pictures of avocados on it."

Sim said Kebatu was loitering outside the prison for around an hour and a half to find out where he should go. After repeatedly asking prison staff where he should go, they said to him: "Go, you've been released, you go."

The driver added: "He kept scratching his head and saying: 'Where do I go, where do I go?' The fourth or fifth time (he went into the reception), he was starting to get upset, he was getting stressed.

"I'm not sticking up for the guy, but in my eyes, he was trying to do the right thing. He knew he was getting deported, but he didn't know where he was going or how he should get there."

Kebatu was released from prison and handed a £76 discharge grant. He was seen in footage appearing to ask for directions to the centre of Chelmsford while just 400 yards from the nearest police station.

The migrant then boarded a train to Stratford, east London, before heading to London Liverpool Street. The Met have launched an urgent manhunt to find Kebatu who had access to money and sought help from members of the public.

Commander James Conway of the Metropolitan Police said: "I am making a direct appeal to Mr Kebatu. We want to locate you in a safe and controlled way. You had already indicated a desire to return to Ethiopia when speaking to immigration staff.

"The best outcome for you is to make contact directly with us by either calling 999 or reporting yourself to a police station."

Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: "This horrendous episode shows that the system Labour Ministers are presiding over is in complete chaos. This man is a dangerous child sex predator and now he is on the loose thanks to Labour's incompetence.

"The fact is he shouldn't even be here at all. I think all illegal immigrants should be deported within a week of arrival, and we should leave the ECHR to enable that. But Labour is too weak to do that."

Meanwhile, the MP for Epping said Sir Keir Starmer should be held responsible for the situation. Neil Hudson, a Conservative, said the "buck has to stop" with the Prime Minister.