When news broke that Hadush Kebatu, a convicted sex offender and recent migrant, had been mistakenly released from prison rather than deported, outrage swept across the UK. The story, which has unfolded over the past week, has brought to light not just a glaring administrative blunder but also a controversial government decision: paying Kebatu £500 to ensure his swift removal to Ethiopia. Politicians, local communities, and the public are now demanding answers and accountability.
Kebatu’s journey to the UK began on June 29, 2025, when he arrived on a small boat after traveling through Sudan, Libya, Italy, and France, according to BBC News. Within just over a week of his arrival, he was living in an asylum hotel in Epping, Essex. It was here that he committed two sexual assaults—one on a 14-year-old girl, the other on a woman—crimes that would spark protests in Epping and bring the use of asylum hotels under renewed scrutiny.
After being found guilty of five offenses and sentenced to 12 months in custody (including time already served), Kebatu was supposed to be transferred from HMP Chelmsford to an immigration detention center under the Early Removals Scheme (ERS) for foreign national offenders. The UK Borders Act 2007 mandates a deportation order for any foreign national sentenced to 12 months or more in custody. However, on Friday, October 24, 2025, an apparent “human error” led to his mistaken release from prison instead of his transfer to immigration authorities.
The fallout was immediate. As reported by Sky News, Kebatu spent nearly 48 hours at large, during which time he wandered through the city, even approaching members of the public for help. He eventually boarded a train to London, where he was apprehended by Metropolitan Police in Finsbury Park at around 8:30am on Sunday, October 26. A member of the public had spotted him and alerted authorities. Kebatu later claimed he had tried to hand himself in to a police officer, saying, “I [told] police, look here, police I am wanted man, I am arrested, I will give you my hand, please help where is police station? He ignored me, he drove [off],” as quoted by BBC News. However, the Metropolitan Police stated, “We are not aware of any evidence to support the claims that Kebatu approached officers on Saturday morning. Kebatu’s actions on the morning of his arrest were more like those of someone trying to avoid officers, not trying to hand himself in.”
The accidental release caused widespread alarm, especially in Epping, where local MP Neil Hudson told BBC Radio 4 that the community would be “very relieved” by Kebatu’s removal. “No one wants to see our hometown the lead story on the news,” he said, referencing ongoing legal challenges to block migrants from being housed at The Bell Hotel, where Kebatu had stayed.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood was quick to address the public’s anger. “Last week’s blunder should never have happened—and I share the public’s anger that it did,” she said. “I have pulled every lever to deport Mr Kebatu and remove him off British soil. I am pleased to confirm this vile child sex offender has been deported. Our streets are safer because of it.”
Yet it was the revelation that Kebatu had been paid £500 to leave the country that truly ignited political and public fury. According to The Guardian and BBC News, Kebatu threatened to disrupt his removal, prompting removal teams to make a discretionary payment to facilitate the process. Downing Street clarified that this was an “operational decision” made by the removal team, not by ministers. The alternative, officials argued, would have been a “slower and more expensive process”—possibly involving further detention, rebooking flights at a cost of up to £8,000, and fighting potential legal claims.
“The alternative to that was to take him off the flight, put him back into detention, charter another flight, and that could cost up to £8,000,” Migration and Citizenship Minister Mike Tapp told BBC Newsnight. He admitted the decision was “difficult to stomach” but insisted that “officers on the ground have full operational independence.”
Paid removals are not unprecedented. Under the Facilitated Returns Scheme, foreign nationals who agree to leave the UK voluntarily can receive up to £1,500. However, Kebatu’s application to this scheme was denied because the government wanted to expedite his removal and avoid the higher payout. As a result, the £500 payment was deemed a cheaper and faster alternative. “Forcible” returns typically do not involve payments, but removal teams can authorize discretionary sums to ensure compliance.
The payment, however, was met with fierce criticism from across the political spectrum. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called it an “outrageous waste of taxpayers’ money,” adding, “Hadush Kebatu should have been deported immediately, not released and sent home with pocket money.” The party’s official spokesman labeled the payment an “absolute disgrace,” arguing, “We have said we need to leave the ECHR and deport all foreign criminals as soon as possible, and we certainly shouldn’t be giving them taxpayers’ money to leave our country.”
The Liberal Democrats were equally scathing, with home affairs spokesperson Max Wilkinson stating, “Public trust was completely trashed after Kebatu’s wrongful release and now this. We need to fix our fundamentally broken immigration system.” Reform UK’s head of policy, Zia Yusuf, described the payment as “an insult of the highest order,” accusing the government of “failing to keep its people safe, failing to lock up criminals, and wasting endless amounts of taxpayer money while doing so.”
In the wake of the incident, Justice Secretary David Lammy ordered an “urgent review” into prison release checks. From Monday, October 27, new safeguards were introduced, including a five-page checklist and requirements for senior staff sign-off on all releases. An independent inquiry, chaired by former Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner Dame Lynne Owens, will examine how the error occurred, whether staff had adequate training and technology, and what systemic changes are needed. A prison officer has been suspended, and no further removals from HMP Chelmsford under the ERS will take place this week.
Upon arrival in Addis Ababa early on Wednesday, October 29, Kebatu was briefly detained by Ethiopian police before being released. Jaylan Abde of the Ethiopian Federal Police told BBC News there was “no legal basis for his continued detention.”
This saga, which began with a tragic failure of oversight, has become a lightning rod for debates about immigration, deportation policy, and public trust in government. As the independent inquiry gets underway and new safeguards are implemented, communities like Epping—and indeed the entire country—will be watching closely to see whether lessons are truly learned and whether such a costly mistake can be prevented in the future.
