UK Police Re-Arrest Migrant Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed From Prison

Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, an Ethiopian asylum seeker and convicted sex offender, was mistakenly released from HMP Chelmsford in the UK while he was supposed to be transferred to an immigration detention center for deportation. Kebatu, who was serving a 12-month sentence for sexually assaulting a woman and a 14-year-old girl, was found and re-arrested in Finsbury Park, London, after a public tip-off led police to his location. The Metropolitan Police, supported by Essex police and British Transport Police, conducted a swift investigation and thanked the public for their assistance. The error occurred because Kebatu was wrongly categorized as a prisoner due for release on licence, and he was also given a discharge grant. The case had previously sparked anti-immigration protests in various English towns, reflecting public concern over asylum seeker accommodations. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the mistake as "totally unacceptable," and Kebatu is now expected to be deported following his re-arrest.