Convicted sex offender erroneously released from prison deported to Ethiopia without UK return rights

Hadush Kebatu has arrived in Ethiopia after being deported from the UK with no right to return, the Home Office has confirmed. The 38-year-old was handed a 12-month jail sentence for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman in Essex before his wrongful release from HMP Chelmsford. Initially set for deportation, Kebatu sparked a manhunt after fleeing to London. He was arrested in Finsbury Park and is now banned from returning to the UK. He left prison with personal money but no subsistence grant, prompting concerns over his release process. A delivery driver witnessed Kebatu’s failed attempts to re-enter prison, raising questions about staff procedures.