Sex offender given £500 after threat to challenge deportation

A convicted child sex offender mistakenly released from prison after arriving in the UK in a small boat was given £500 of public money as he was deported back to Ethiopia.

- Rajeev Syal Pippa Crerar

Hadush Kebatu left the UK on a flight to Ethiopia on Tuesday night

Hadush Kebatu was flown back to his home country on Tuesday night with the discretionary payment after raising the possibility of challenging his removal shortly before he was due to be placed on a plane.

The Ethiopian national, who had sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl and a woman, had been wrongly freed from HMP Chelmsford on Friday morning instead of being sent to an immigration detention centre, triggering a two-day search.

Speaking to Sky News from Ethiopia yesterday morning, Kebatu said he tried to hand himself in to police, but was ignored. He said: “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].

“You know me, or my image, my name is Hadush Kebatu, nationality Ethiopia. Please, I was the mistake release from Chelmsford prison. Please help me.”

Responding to Kebatu’s claims, the Metropolitan police told Sky News: “The Met is not aware of any evidence to support the claims that Kebatu approached officers on Saturday morning.