A British sex offender has been given £500 after attempting to disrupt his deportation back to Ethiopia. Hadush Kebatu's deportation was carried out in response to his threat, which could have slowed down and increased the cost of the removal process.
Kebatu had been mistakenly released from HMP Chelmsford prison on Friday morning, leading to a two-day manhunt before he was eventually re-arrested and deported back to Ethiopia. The incident has sparked outrage among politicians and the public, with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood vowing to "pull every lever" to ensure his removal.
However, opposition MPs have expressed skepticism about the government's handling of the situation, suggesting that Kebatu's deportation does not excuse the errors that occurred during his release. The payment made to Kebatu was reportedly an operational decision, rather than a request from the Home Office.
The incident has led to calls for enhanced security measures at prisons, with officials now required to conduct more rigorous checks before releasing inmates. A parliamentary inquiry has also been announced to investigate the circumstances surrounding Kebatu's release and to identify lessons that can be learned to prevent similar incidents in the future.
A prison officer involved in the incident has been suspended while the inquiry is carried out. Kebatu was last known to have been living at a hotel in Epping, Essex, where he had committed serious sex offenses against two victims, including a 14-year-old girl.
Kebatu had been mistakenly released from HMP Chelmsford prison on Friday morning, leading to a two-day manhunt before he was eventually re-arrested and deported back to Ethiopia. The incident has sparked outrage among politicians and the public, with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood vowing to "pull every lever" to ensure his removal.
However, opposition MPs have expressed skepticism about the government's handling of the situation, suggesting that Kebatu's deportation does not excuse the errors that occurred during his release. The payment made to Kebatu was reportedly an operational decision, rather than a request from the Home Office.
The incident has led to calls for enhanced security measures at prisons, with officials now required to conduct more rigorous checks before releasing inmates. A parliamentary inquiry has also been announced to investigate the circumstances surrounding Kebatu's release and to identify lessons that can be learned to prevent similar incidents in the future.
A prison officer involved in the incident has been suspended while the inquiry is carried out. Kebatu was last known to have been living at a hotel in Epping, Essex, where he had committed serious sex offenses against two victims, including a 14-year-old girl.
. I mean, if they messed up so badly that you had to try and stop them from deporting you, shouldn't the Home Office be paying you or something? It's not like you're trying to commit a crime, but rather trying to correct their mistake 
. And now we've got more people calling for better security measures at prisons, which I'm all for, but isn't this just a perfect example of how things can go wrong when you rush into things without thinking them through? 
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I mean, think about it... if someone as dangerous as Hadush Kebatu was released and then re-arrested, it's clear we have major process issues going on. And instead of addressing the root problem, they're giving him a slap on the wrist (£500 is not exactly a slap, btw) 
It feels like our system is more concerned with punishing the symptoms rather than taking care of the bigger picture 
We need to make sure that all staff members are properly trained and equipped to handle situations like this so we don't see anymore mistakes. 
... but you know the thing that really gets me is why they didn't just deport him straightaway in the first place? it's not like he was some innocent dude who got wrongly accused, this guy had a history of doing super serious crimes 
... gotta say though, at least the government's taking steps to sort it out and make things safer for everyone 
this is so messed up!!! £500 for disrupting his deportation? It's like, hello, you're a convicted sex offender who was released from prison TWICE 
and caused a huge manhunt?! I don't think that justifies getting paid back. And what about the poor victims he committed crimes against? Did they get any compensation or support? 
enhanced security measures gotta be implemented ASAP 
it's not just about Kebatu, it's about preventin' these kinds of incidents in the future 
It's all about accountability, right? We need to make sure our prisons are secure and our laws are being followed. This whole thing stinks of a cover-up. 
. But seriously, what's going on with the government and their handling of this? It seems like they're more worried about making an example out of this guy rather than actually learning from their mistakes.
. and £500 to the guy? that's just weird why would you pay someone who tried to disrupt deportation? seems like a waste of tax payer money 
And now he gets £500 like everything is fine. But at the same time... 
. And what really gets me is that he was released on Friday morning and then had to be re-arrested 2 days later 
. And now they're announcing a parliamentary inquiry to figure out how this all went down 
. Hopefully, they can learn from this and make some real changes to prevent this kind of thing from happening again 
. I mean, I've seen some crazy stuff in my time but this takes the cake 
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. We need to make sure that these kinds of mistakes never happen again, especially when it comes to people who have committed serious crimes against others 
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. I hope they get to the bottom of it and make some real changes soon 
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