What really ignited the public’s anger is Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, an Ethiopian national. He should not have been released from HMP Chelmsford, even though he’d just recently been convicted of multiple sexual offenses. Kebatu was ordered to serve a year in prison in September as punishment for his crimes. He was to be immediately transferred to an immigration detention facility to be deported. Instead, he was seen boarding a London-bound train at Chelmsford railway station at 12:41 PM on Friday, prompting authorities to launch a manhunt.
Kebatu’s lengthy criminal history includes violent crimes against children and women just months after arriving to the UK. He returned on a special small boat and took up residence at the Bell Hotel in Epping. Just days after that, he started carrying out his crimes. In July, he was convicted on two counts of sexual assault. In addition, he was charged with one count of attempted sexual assault and one count of inciting a minor girl to engage in sexual conduct. He was further sentenced to a five-year sexual harm prevention order.
On July 7, 2025, Kebatu approached a 14-year-old girl at Epping High Street. He attempted to kiss her on the lips and made sexually inappropriate statements. The following day, he found the same girl and followed through with his initial inappropriate advances by sexually assaulting her. When she caught him in the act, her prompt report of Barker’s actions to the police resulted in his immediate arrest. Kebatu rejected the government’s criminal charges at his trial, insisting that he had served honorably as a secondary school teacher in Ethiopia.
After his conviction, Kebatu’s barrister, Molly Dyas, stated that he disputed “most of the alleged interaction with this group of children.” However, due to his prior convictions, his release had the public up in arms.
A spokesperson for the Prison Service stated, “We are urgently working with police to return an offender to custody following a release in error at HMP Chelmsford.” Their spokesperson insisted that protecting the public was their highest priority. They further assured us that an internal investigation into the incident has started.
The conditions of Kebatu’s release have drawn ire from several GOP statesmen. Chris Philp, a government minister, tweeted his outrage at Kebatu’s disappearance. He personally went after Union-lead policy, calling it “disgraceful” that a convicted pedophile was able to walk the streets untouched. He continued that Kebatu should instead have been deported as soon as he landed on British soil.
Philp pressed Home Secretary David Lammy and Shabana Mahmood for their part in letting Kebatu free. “This is breathtaking incompetence,” Philp declared. They have, in fact, placed our children at even more risk by allowing this deadly illegal immigrant to roam freely on to our streets.
Meanwhile, Nigel Farage, a prominent political figure, highlighted public safety concerns by stating, “The Epping hotel migrant sex attacker … is now walking the streets of Essex. Britain is broken.” In response, he pointed to the protests by local mothers outside the hotel where Kebatu was housed, as a sign of community outrage.
Marie Goldman, a political representative, called for law enforcement to act now. “The police must do everything they can to ensure that this man is returned to custody immediately so that he is deported at once,” she insisted. Goldman called for an independent inquiry into how Kebatu was wrongfully released. He urged that this mistake could have endangered constituents’ lives.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy took to social media to share his dismay over the humiliating incident and vowed immediate action. “I am appalled at the release in error at HMP Chelmsford,” he said. We are already working with the police urgently to get him identified and we can find him. I’ve ordered an urgent investigation. Kebatu needs to serve his time for his crimes, not on our streets.
The situation is ongoing as law enforcement ramps up their efforts to find Kebatu. This horrific incident raises fundamental questions about how we treat offenders once they enter the prison system. It further shines a light on the practices used to address those awaiting deportation.