Police have launched a manhunt for Ethiopian national Hadush Kebatu, an asylum seeker who was mistakenly released from HMP Chelmsford on Friday, October 24, 2025. Kebatu had been serving a 12-month prison sentence for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman in Essex.
According to the Ministry of Justice, Kebatu was supposed to be transferred to an immigration detention centre ahead of his deportation but was instead released in error. Justice Secretary David Lammy confirmed that the 41-year-old is now “at large” in London, with the Metropolitan Police, Essex Police, and British Transport Police working together to track him down.
Essex Police reported that Kebatu boarded a London-bound train at Chelmsford Station at 12:41 p.m., just minutes before officials realized the mistake. A search began immediately after the Prison Service was informed of the error at 12:57 p.m. One prison officer has since been suspended pending an investigation.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described the incident as “totally unacceptable,” saying Kebatu “must be caught and deported for his crimes.”
The Liberal Democrat MP for Chelmsford, Marie Goldman, has called for a public inquiry, warning that if such an error can happen at a remand prison like Chelmsford, it could occur elsewhere in the prison system.
Former prison governor John Podmore said the case highlights systemic issues within the UK’s “broken” prison and probation services, calling it a symptom of wider institutional failure.
Kebatu was convicted in September 2025 for multiple sexual offences and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for ten years. His release has sparked public outrage, especially in Epping, where residents had previously protested his presence following his arrest in July.
Authorities continue to urge anyone with information about Kebatu’s whereabouts to contact Essex Police immediately.
