A convicted migrant sex offender was mistakenly freed from prison, sparked a 48-hour manhunt, then given £500 of public money to cooperate with deportation. Ministers called his removal a victory for safety, but most of us saw something else entirely: a system that allowed a convicted sex offender to go free, endangering the public, and using taxpayers’ money to fix it.
Here’s a breakdown of how it all unfolded, why he was paid, and what it says about the current government’s practices.
What Just Happened?
Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, an Ethiopian national who arrived by small boat, was convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman in Epping within days of his arrival. He was then supposed to go straight from HMP Chelmsford to an immigration removal centre, but prison staff released him “in error” sparking protests and a two-day manhunt inthe capital. Kebatu was eventually caught and re-arrested in London, put on a plane, and removed to Ethiopia with no right to return.
How He Pocketed £500 From It All
Officials say the “discretionary operational payment” of £500 was paid to Kebatu immediately before his removal in order to avoid costly delays, following his threats to obstruct or legally challenge deportation. Importantly, the Home Office says this was not the formal Facilitated Returns Scheme, which can pay money to foreign offenders who leave without fighting the decision – instead, the system simply paid to make their error go away more quickly.
It’s true that the sheer cost of guards, detention bedspace and re-arranged flights would’ve dwarfed the £500 expense – but what signal does this send to would-be offenders? If the state botches the process, leverage goes to the offender, and taxpayers foot the bill to fix the government’s mistakes.
How It Unfolded
- Release error: HMP Chelmsford discharged Kebatu after being convicted for sex offences instead of transferring him to immigration custody. CCTV footage was analysed to track him travelling into London.
- Manhunt and re-arrest: He was on the loose for two full days before being caught in a park.
- Payment and removal: To keep it on track – in other words, to get rid of the embarassment as soon as possible – a £500 payment was authorised “on operational advice” and Kebatu was flown out under escort.
Senior ministers have ordered inquiries and personnel actions inside prisons and the Home Office. It’s since been publicly chalked off as human error, rather than a system failure or other technical bug.
Government Narrative vs Reality
The official line simply celebrates that the offender is gone and Britain is safer as a result. Mainstream media reports ministers calling the outcome “the right result” while acknowledging the error. The Home Office stresses that the payment wasn’t a policy “reward” but rather a one-off decision to avoid bigger costs. Various outlets report that a discharge manager has been suspended and an inquiry launched.
But the public reality is different: a man, who arrived illegally and immediately sexually assaulted an underage girl, was convicted, released from prison, seen in public, and then given money. The optics are crippling for an already broken system and an extension of the Labour government’s border theatre. It all reads as tough talk wrapped around fundamental operational failures.
Answers Public Demands Now
- How exactly did this happen, and how will prison-to-immigration transfers be locked down to avoid more offenders running free?
- Will the Home Office publish criteria for any discretionary payments, and report expenditure? How much is the public paying for their mistakes?
- Is there any meaningful reduction in crossings and reoffending because of this policy, or is the government just making it worse by fumbling their own processes?
Final Thought
The state’s job is simply to protect the public and uphold the law. In this case, it not only failed on both fronts, but followed up by deciding to spend £500 of the public’s money to undo their mistake. On one hand, it’s better to expedite the removal of a convicted sex offender who arrived illegally. But the system managed to lose the offender in the first place and wrote a check to make it all go away. Public trust is seemingly at an all-time low, yet once again the government appears to have made it even worse.
Join the Conversation
Do you agree with a discretionary payment to secure removals like these? What needs to be done to stop it happening again? Share your thoughts below.
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Categories: Breaking News, UK News
I think all the jabbed public servants are brain damaged by the experimental gene therapy for convid. Most would have got it after all and neurological damage has been done and here we are in idiocracy…Remove them all along with the politicians and put them somewhere they can’t do more damage.
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I’m surprised he wasn’t given a job in government!…
Whatever is the opposite of good and right, the UK govt will do it. After this, expect the flood of illegals to increase. You get a free vacation in the UK, all expenses paid, for as long as you want to stay or till you get caught committing some crime. Then you offer to skip the trial and go home at the UK’s expense if they pay you enough.