Sex Offender's Accidental Release Prompts UK Manhunt

Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, a 38-year-old Ethiopian asylum seeker convicted of sexually assaulting a teenage girl and another woman, was accidentally released from HMP Chelmsford on Oct. 24 while awaiting transfer to immigration detention for deportation, prompting a nationwide manhunt. His arrest over alleged attacks at the Bell Hotel in Epping in July had already sparked protests and counter-protests across towns hosting asylum seekers. Justice Secretary David Lammy said he was “appalled,” ordered an urgent investigation and is supporting police efforts to locate and deport Kebatu; a prison officer has been removed from discharge duties pending the probe. The Prison Service and Home Office described the release as a human error and said staff are working urgently with police to return him to custody and protect the public. Opposition figures including Nigel Farage and Robert Jenrick criticized the error as emblematic of broader migration and public-safety failures.