Teenage victim 'felt unsafe again' after sex offender's mistaken release from HMP Chelmsford
Ethiopian migrant Hadush Kebatu was deported after two-day manhunt.
A teenage girl who was sexually assaulted by Hadush Kebatu, an asylum seeker from Ethiopia, has spoken of her fear and distress after his mistaken release from HMP Chelmsford.
Kebatu, who was convicted of sexually assaulting the girl when she was 14, was mistakenly freed last month instead of being transferred to an immigration detention centre for deportation. His unexpected release triggered a two-day manhunt, leaving his young victim terrified.
In a statement shared with ITV News and read by Epping Forest district councillor Shane Yerrell, the girl described how the ordeal made her "scared and so anxious."
"I think it's disgusting how me and my family have been treated in all of this and it's not fair that he was released by accident," she said.
Recalling her feelings upon learning about his release, she added: "I felt like I was put in danger all over again and all of the feelings from the day it happened came back.
"We found out he was being deported, and I was being told by everybody that he got paid £500. When I got home I just cried because I felt like he got paid for what he had done to me."
Kebatu arrived in the UK in June 2023 and was living at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, when the assaults occurred. On 7th July 2023, he made inappropriate comments to the teenage girl before attempting to kiss her. The following day, he sexually assaulted a woman, attempting to kiss her, placing his hand on her leg, and making inappropriate remarks.
Kebatu denied the charges but was found guilty of five offences and sentenced in September 2025 to 12 months in custody, including time served ahead of his trial.
His accidental release last month led to a nationwide search, with Kebatu eventually apprehended hours later. On 28th October, he was deported to Ethiopia under escort and has no right to return to the United Kingdom, according to the Home Office.
The girl, in her statement, expressed concern about the mistaken release, saying: "I didn’t want to be in Epping because I was so scared I was going to see him and he would recognise me."
Detained at HMP Chelmsford, Kebatu was supposed to be held in an immigration detention centre. The Home Office has yet to confirm details regarding how the error occurred.
His initial conviction followed a series of protests outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, where he had been residing alongside other asylum seekers.