The manhunt for Hadush Kebatu, an asylum seeker and convicted sex offender who was wrongly freed from prison, continues.
The Ethiopian national had been serving a 12-month sentence at HMP Chelmsford since September. He was due to be released in order to be immediately deported, but instead he was able to board a train to London.
The mistake triggered a manhunt that now involves three police forces looking for the prisoner. His current whereabouts are unknown.
Here, Sky News examines how the event has unfolded:
Friday 24 October
Kebatu is released from HMP Chelmsford wearing a prison-issued grey tracksuit. He is also holding a clear plastic bag containing his possessions.
The prison released him on the expectation that he would be picked up by immigration enforcement, and the Home Office was ready to take Kebatu to an immigration removal centre, it is understood.
But it is unclear exactly what happened next.
A lorry driver, who was delivering equipment to Chelmsford jail on Friday, told Sky News correspondent Tom Parmenter he saw the «confused» offender outside the facility being directed by prison staff to the town’s railway station following his release.
The offender is said to have returned to the prison «four or five times» but was turned away.
Footage later appears to show Kebatu in Chelmsford High Street.
In the video he appears to ask a group of people for help.
12.41pm: The prisoner boards a Greater Anglia London-bound train at Chelmsford station.
12.51pm: The train arrives at Shenfield station, in the Essex borough of Brentwood.
12.57pm: Essex Police are informed by the prison service that Kebatu was mistakenly released.
The force says it has launched a search operation and is working closely with partner agencies.
CCTV footage of Kebatu in Chelmsford. Pic: Met Police
Metropolitan Police releases image of Kebatu in Dalston. Police call on public to help with manhunt for Kebatu, says Met Police Commander James Conway. The manhunt for Hadush Kebatu, an asylum seeker and convicted sex offender who was wrongly freed from prison, continues. The Ethiopian national had been serving a 12-month sentence at HMP Chelmsford since September. He was due to be released in order to be immediately deported, but instead he was able to board a train to London. The mistake triggered a manhunt that now involves three police forces looking for the prisoner. His current whereabouts are unknown. Here, Sky News examines how the event has unfolded:
Friday 24 October
Kebatu is released from HMP Chelmsford wearing a prison-issued grey tracksuit. He is also holding a clear plastic bag containing his possessions. The prison released him on the expectation that he would be picked up by immigration enforcement, and the Home Office was ready to take Kebatu to an immigration removal centre, it is understood. But it is unclear exactly what happened next. A lorry driver, who was delivering equipment to Chelmsford jail on Friday, told Sky News correspondent Tom Parmenter he saw the «confused» offender outside the facility being directed by prison staff to the town’s railway station following his release. The offender is said to have returned to the prison «four or five times» but was turned away. Footage later appears to show Kebatu in Chelmsford High Street. In the video he appears to ask a group of people for help.
12.41pm: The prisoner boards a Greater Anglia London-bound train at Chelmsford station.
12.51pm: The train arrives at Shenfield station, in the Essex borough of Brentwood.
12.57pm: Essex Police are informed by the prison service that Kebatu was mistakenly released. The force says it has launched a search operation and is working closely with partner agencies. Caption: Kebatu in Dalston. (Image: Met Police) Metropolitan Police Takes Over Manhunt for Kebatu
On Saturday 25 October, the Metropolitan Police announced that it had taken over the manhunt for Kebatu. Commander James Conway stated that senior investigating officers were examining CCTV footage from around Stratford station and beyond to gather information about the prisoner’s movements.
At 2:00 pm, a delivery driver who had spoken to Kebatu outside Chelmsford prison told Sky News that the confused offender was directed to the railway station by prison staff. The driver mentioned that Kebatu seemed lost and had no idea where to go, spending approximately an hour and a half outside the prison before leaving.
Later at 4:30 pm, Met Police Commander James Conway made a direct appeal to Kebatu, urging him to make contact in a safe and controlled manner. Conway mentioned that Kebatu had expressed a desire to return to Ethiopia when speaking to immigration staff and advised him to either call 999 or report himself to a police station. Conway also noted that Kebatu had access to funds and had sought assistance from the public and station staff in Chelmsford and London.
The events leading up to Kebatu’s wrongful release included his conviction of five offenses after a trial at Chelmsford and Colchester magistrates’ courts in September. His case sparked protests in Epping, Essex, and outside hotels housing asylum seekers following his arrival in the UK by boat. The manhunt for Hadush Kebatu, an asylum seeker and convicted sex offender, who was mistakenly released from HMP Chelmsford, continues. Kebatu, an Ethiopian national, had been serving a 12-month sentence since September and was supposed to be released for immediate deportation. However, he managed to board a train to London instead, sparking a search involving three police forces.
Here is a breakdown of how the events unfolded:
Friday 24 October
Kebatu was released from HMP Chelmsford wearing a gray tracksuit and carrying a clear plastic bag with his belongings. The prison expected immigration enforcement to pick him up for deportation to an immigration removal center. However, the exact chain of events following his release remains unclear.
A lorry driver, delivering equipment to the jail, reported seeing Kebatu outside the facility looking confused and being directed by prison staff to the town’s railway station. Despite returning to the prison multiple times, he was turned away.
Later, footage emerged showing Kebatu on Chelmsford High Street, where he appeared to seek help from a group of people.
At 12:41 pm, Kebatu boarded a Greater Anglia London-bound train at Chelmsford station. The train arrived at Shenfield station in Brentwood, Essex, at 12:51 pm. By 12:57 pm, Essex Police were informed by the prison service of Kebatu’s mistaken release. The police force initiated a search operation and began collaborating with partner agencies to locate him.
CCTV footage captured Kebatu in Chelmsford, further intensifying the manhunt for his whereabouts. The ongoing search involves a coordinated effort across multiple law enforcement agencies to ensure Kebatu is located and apprehended promptly.
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