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Wrongly-released migrant sex offender claims he was 'ignored' by police
Posted
October 29, 2025
Views
46,341
Likes
285
Engagement
0.62%
October 29, 2025
46,341
285
0.62%
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3:56Now PlayingMigrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu, who was wrongly freed from prison, has claimed in an interview with Sky News that he tried to hand himself in to police a day before he was arrested, but was ignored by officers.
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When approached by Sky News, the Ministry of Justice pointed to a statement made by Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy upon Kebatu's deportation: "Kebatu has been returned to Ethiopia where he belongs. I am grateful to Home Office colleagues for acting swiftly to secure his deportation. I have been clear from the outset that a mistake of this nature is unacceptable, and we must get to the bottom of what happened. I have established an independent investigation chaired by Dame Lynne Owens into last Friday’s events to get the public the answers they rightly deserve, and we have introduced the strictest checks ever seen in our prison system to stop similar unacceptable errors in future."
Responding to Kebatu's claims, the Metropolitan Police Service told Sky News: "The Met is not aware of any evidence to support the claims that Kebatu approached officers on Saturday morning. The actions of officers who responded to the sighting of him on Sunday morning show how seriously they were taking the manhunt. 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."
Essex Police told Sky News: "Our officers responded quickly to the reports of the sexual assaults committed in Epping and arrested Hadush Kebatu on the same day the offences were reported to us. Kebatu was then immediately remanded in custody, while officers acted diligently and professionally securing charges and building a case which saw Kebatu convicted following a trial. Protecting women and girls is a priority for Essex Police and our swift and thorough actions highlight our commitment to this."
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