Epping migrant sex offender walks street after mistaken prison release – ‘Broken Britain’
Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu was accidentally freed from HMP Chelmsford at around 11am on Friday owing to a paperwork error.
Alarming footage has emerged showing convicted migrant child sex offender Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu strolling casually along Chelmsford High Street just minutes after his mistaken release from prison, prompting Reform UK leader Nigel Farage to declare “Britain is broken” in a furious social media post. The video, shared widely online, captures the Ethiopian national, 38, in his grey prison tracksuit, clutching a clear plastic bag containing belongings, including a copy of The War Cry magazine.
Filmed a three-minute walk from Chelmsford police station, it shows the asylum seeker pausing to chat with a group of men, asking for directions, accepting an item, and a gesture before heading to the railway station. Kebatu, previously housed at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, was jailed for 12 months in September for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and two other offences. Due for deportation at the end of his sentence, he was accidentally freed from HMP Chelmsford at around 11am on Friday owing to a paperwork error.
The clip appears to show Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu in Chelmsford (Image: X)
Reacting to the footage and reports, Clacton MP Nigel Farage posted on X: “The Epping hotel migrant sex attacker has been accidentally freed rather than deported. He is now walking the streets of Essex. Britain is broken.”
Shared at 4.21pm yesterday, the post has attracted more than 25,000 likes and over 500,000 views, fuelling public anger.
He later shared a Reform UK post saying: “Reform will deport all illegal migrants and foreign criminals. Labour releases them back on to our streets.”
Essex Police, informed at 12.57pm, declared a critical incident after confirming Kebatu boarded a 12.41pm Greater Anglia train to London Liverpool Street, via Shenfield and Stratford. Justice Secretary David Lammy said the fugitive was “at large in London”, with the Metropolitan Police aiding the search.
A force statement said: “We were informed by the prison service at 12.57pm today of an error this morning surrounding the release of an individual. As a result of that, we have launched a search operation to locate them and are working closely with partner agencies. These fast-paced enquiries have shown that the man boarded a London-bound train at Chelmsford Railway Station at 12.41pm. We understand the concern the public would have regarding this situation and can assure you we have officers working to urgently locate and detain him.”
Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu at the time of his original arrest (Image: PA)
The Home Office had arranged his transfer to an immigration removal centre. A Prison Service spokesman confirmed: “We are urgently working with police to return an offender to custody following a release in error at HMP Chelmsford. Public protection is our top priority and we have launched an investigation into this incident.”
One prison officer has been stood down from discharge duties pending the probe. HMPPS data shows 262 erroneous releases from April 2024 to March 2025, up from 115 the previous year, linked to legal changes and the early-release scheme introduced in September 2024 to ease overcrowding.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the blunder “totally unacceptable”, stating: “The mistaken release at HMP Chelmsford is totally unacceptable. I am appalled that it has happened and it’s being investigated. The police are working urgently to track him down, and my government is supporting them. This man must be caught and deported for his crimes.”
Lammy, described as “livid on behalf of the public” by
sources, has ordered an internal inquiry.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp branded it “staggering incompetence” and called for a public inquiry. He told Sky News: “We certainly need a public inquiry into how this dangerous illegal immigrant, who is also a child sex offender, got released.
“We also need an urgent apology from Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Justice Secretary David Lammy, who have presided over this fiasco.”
At Chelmsford Crown Court last month, Judge Christopher Williams told Kebatu his behaviour “really highlights the poor regard you must have for women”.
The former teacher, who arrived by small boat days before the July incidents, approached two 14-year-old girls in school uniforms, telling them he wanted “to have a baby with each of them”, then touching one girl’s thigh and stroking her hair. He was also convicted of assaulting a woman by placing a hand on her leg and attempting to kiss her.
Kebatu expressed a “firm wish” to be deported during sentencing. His case sparked protests and counter-protests outside the Bell Hotel and other asylum sites nationwide. The victim’s father told The Sun: “The justice system has let us down.”
Aaron Stow, president of the Criminal Justice Workers’ Union, called the release “a profound failure of duty”, adding: “The release of Hadush Kebatu is a betrayal of the victims, the community, and the principles of justice. We demand a full investigation and immediate reforms to ensure this never happens again.”
CJWU general secretary Mike Rolfe said: “The justice system is stretched to breaking point, the public’s confidence is collapsing, and those tasked with enforcing the law are left to pick up the pieces of political cowardice.”
Chelmsford Liberal Democrat MP Marie Goldman demanded a rapid public inquiry, saying: “How could it possibly just be the responsibility of one single member of staff to decide whether to release or not a prisoner, or how to release a prisoner? So, I think there are huge questions to be answered about this.”
She expressed frustration at poor communication from prison governor Mark Howard and said she was “struggling” not to call for his resignation.
The manhunt continues, with appeals for sightings of a bald 38-year-old in a grey tracksuit.
