THE Ethiopian migrant who was wrongly released from prison has been deported from the UK with no right to return.
Hadush Kebatu was jailed in September for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl but was mistakenly released just weeks into his sentence.
The 41-year-old asylum seeker was let out of HMP CHelmsford on Friday morning by mistake, sparking a two-day manhunt which resulted in his eventual recapture on Sunday.
Kebatu was supposed to be sent to an immigration detention centre but was instead let free to roam the streets.
He was released on the expectation he would be picked up by immigration enforcement and was due on a flight “within days.”
It remains unclear what happened next.
He was filmed by a member of the public sauntering down Chelmsford High Street, still wearing his prison issue tracksuit, shortly after his accidental release.
Kebatu then travelled to London where he remained at large for another day.
Footage showed him on Saturday strolling inside a library in Dalston, East London, at around 6pm the day of his release.
He was later seen “trying to get a free night’s stay” at the nearby Premier Inn, The Sun revealed.
He is now among more than 5,100 foreign criminals who have been removed from the country under the Labour Government.
His release from jail saw a prison officer suspended from discharging duty at HMP Chelmsford, it is understood.
Kebatu was removed from the country on a flight to Ethiopia last night and arrived in the African country this morning.
The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said: “Last week’s blunder should never have happened – and I share the public’s anger that it did.
“I would like to thank the police for rapidly bringing Mr Kebatu into custody and the public for their vigilance.
“I have pulled every lever to deport Mr Kebatu and remove him off British soil.
“I am pleased to confirm this vile child sex offender has been deported. Our streets are safer because of it.
“If you come to this country and commit crimes, we will remove you.”
David Lammy previously announced an independent investigation into the blunder that saw Kebatu freed.
The investigation is to be chaired by former deputy commissioner for the Metropolitan Police Dame Lynne Owens.
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said: “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.”
The migrant had been living at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, with his crimes sparking protests across the country.
Following Kebatu’s recapture, some protestors congregated outside the hotel on Sunday evening.
His initial arrest in July had sparked nationwide protests against the use of migrant hotels.
