Hadush Kebatu reportedly tried "four or five times" to return to prison after accidentally being released, a witness has claimed. Photo / CPS
The Epping migrant accidentally released after sexually assaulting a girl tried “four or five times” to return to prison, it has been claimed.
A witness said he saw prison staff repeatedly turn Hadush Kebatu away and direct him to Chelmsford railway station when he tried to re-enter.
He was last seen shortly before 8pm on Friday (local time) in the Dalston area of Hackney, east London, police said.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “He was still wearing his prison-issue grey tracksuit top and bottoms, but is now carrying his belongings in a distinctive white bag with pictures of avocados on it.”
A delivery driver, named only as Sim, told Sky News that he saw Kebatu come out of the prison saying, “Where am I going? What am I doing?”
The driver claimed he saw the migrant loitering outside the building for around an hour and a half as he tried to find out where he should go.
He said that Kebatu knew he should have been deported instead of being freed, but prison staff were “basically sending him away” and saying 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.”
After being accidentally released, and handed a £76 ($176) subsistence payment, Kebatu was caught on camera appearing to ask for directions in the centre of Chelmsford.
In footage posted on social media, Kebatu could be seen wearing a grey prison tracksuit, just 400 yards from the nearest police station. Shortly after, he boarded the train from Chelmsford to London.
A nationwide manhunt was launched after HMP Chelmsford officials realised their mistake and alerted Essex Police on Friday at lunchtime.
Scotland Yard took over the search on Saturday, saying that Kebatu had been spotted in the Stratford area after getting off a train from Chelmsford to London Liverpool Street.
Commander James Conway of the Metropolitan Police said Kebatu “made a number of train journeys” across London following his arrival at Stratford, and was still thought to be wearing a prison-issue grey tracksuit and carrying a bag.
He added that Kebatu had access to funds and had sought assistance from members of the public.
With police having failed to track Kebatu down by late on Saturday afternoon, Conway urged him to give himself up.
Conway 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.”
It is understood the Home Office had been ready to take Kebatu to an immigration removal centre before a planned deportation from the UK when he was instead allowed to go free in an administrative blunder.
David Lammy, the Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary, who was reported to be livid about the release, has ordered an independent investigation into the error.
In the meantime, HM Prison and Probation Service has rushed through new mandatory procedures for prison releases.
The duty governor, who is responsible for the daily secure operation of the prison, will be required to complete additional checks the evening before a release.
Governors will need to provide assurance that the procedure is in place by Monday.
The fiasco over his release and apparent attempt to re-enter prison has farcical echoes of the Government’s “one in, one out” policy for illegal migrants.
One man who was deported under the scheme was picked up again by immigration officers last week as he tried to come back to Britain.
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.”
The MP for Epping said Sir Keir Starmer should be held accountable for the accidental release of Kebatu.
Neil Hudson, a Conservative, said the “buck has to stop” with the Prime Minister.
Repeated protests were held in Epping over the summer after Kebatu, who had been housed in the Essex town’s Bell Hotel, was jailed for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.
Sentencing Kebatu last month, a judge told him his behaviour “really highlights the poor regard you must have for women”.
The 41-year-old, who arrived in the UK days before the incidents in July, told two teenagers he wanted to “have a baby with each of them” and attempted to kiss them, before going on to put his hand on one of the girls’ thighs and stroke her hair, his trial was told.
He was also found to have sexually assaulted a woman by trying to kiss her, putting his hand on her leg and telling her she was pretty.
The migrant was found guilty of five offences following a three-day trial at Chelmsford and Colchester magistrates’ courts in September.
The court heard at his sentencing hearing it was Kebatu’s “firm wish” to be deported.
On Saturday, the Met Police said there was a “high level of confidence” that the asylum seeker was in London.
Scotland Yard revealed that he got off the train at Stratford, in east London, at around 1.06pm on Friday.
Conway said finding Kebatu was a “top priority” for the force. He added: “We’ve confirmed that Kebatu got off the London-bound train at Stratford station.
“We are examining CCTV from that area and further afield, including on the transport network, to establish information about his subsequent movements.”
The Prison Service said an officer had been suspended from inmate discharging duties while an investigation took place.
Essex Police said it was informed by the prison services about “an error” just before 1pm on Friday, with a spokesman adding: “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.”
In a statement on Saturday morning, the force said: “Officers from Essex Police, the Metropolitan Police and British Transport Police are working together in this fast-moving and complex investigation.
“Officers worked throughout the night to track his movements, including scouring hours of CCTV footage, and this work continues today.
“Our inquiries show that he was last seen in the London area, and this is our focus.”
A senior Met Police source told the Telegraph that the search for Kebatu has been “difficult” and stretched “policing resources”.
A Prison Service spokesman said: “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.”
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