Bell Hotel paedophile Hadush Kebatu is finally deported to Etheopia after spending 44 hours at large after prison release blunder

Bell Hotel migrant Hadush Kebatu has arrived back in Ethiopia after being deported from the UK, with no right to return, the Home Office said.

Kebatu was removed on a flight last night to Ethiopia and arrived there this morning.

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.”

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 Home Office said he is among the more than 5,100 foreign criminals who have been removed from the country under this Government.

Police who were hunting Kebatu (in CCTV above) in London arrested him in the Finsbury Park area on Sunday, October 26 2025.

Kebatu, whose sex offending just days after illegally entering the UK, was "accidentally" freed by the prison service while being transferred from prison to an immigration detention centre to be deported.

Hapless staff even gave him directions to the rain station, it has emerged.

A major search operation was launched on Friday to find him the convicted sex attacker after he was moved from Chelmsford Prison.

It was later confirmed by police that he was able to take a train from Chelmsford rail station into London.

Yesterday, Saturday, October 25 2025, the Met Police took over the search investigation from Essex Police.

He had boarded a London-bound train from Chelmsford Station at 12:41pm on Friday.

Commander James Conway said yesterday: “Finding Hadush Kebatu is a top priority.

"The manhunt is being led by an experienced Senior Investigating Officer. He has teams from the Specialist Crime Command with expertise in tracking down wanted people at his disposal, as well as other resources from across the Met.

“We’ve confirmed that Kebatu got off the London-bound train at Stratford station.

“We are examining CCTV from that area and further afield, including on the transport network, to establish information about his subsequent movements.

“We will provide further updates when we can, but I hope the press and the public will understand why it would be unhelpful to the effectiveness of the manhunt if we were to provide a detailed running commentary."

Officers now confirmed that he was last seen shortly before 8pm on Friday evening in the Dalston area of Hackney.

He was still wearing his prison-issue grey tracksuit top and bottoms, but is now carrying his belongings in a distinctive white bag with pictures of avocados on it.

The force released CCTV footage from slightly earlier in the evening, at around 6pm when he was seen inside a library in Dalston Square.

Additional officers were deployed to the area to carry out further searches, but we are appealing for the help of local residents to report any sightings as soon as possible.

Today, the force confirmed he has been arrested.

Kebatu was arrested by Met officers in the Finsbury Park area of London at around 8:30am this morning. (Sunday, 26 October).

Commander Conway said: “This has been a diligent and fast paced investigation led by specialist officers from the Metropolitan Police, supported by Essex Police and the British Transport Police.

“Information from the public led officers to Finsbury Park and following a search, they located Mr Kebatu. He was detained by police, but will be returned to the custody of the Prison Service.

“I am extremely grateful to the public for their support following our appeal, which assisted in locating Mr Kebatu.”

Video had surfaced on Friday, which was filmed by a woman who thought she recognised him in Chelmsford today before news of the blunder broke.

He was seen with a prison bag in a grey tracksuit and talking to three men, appearing to ask for directions.

A senior justice source told The Sun: “He has been released in error – this is the mother of all f**k ups.

“It is down to human error, with the wrong paperwork on it or something. (Justice Secretary) David Lammy is aware – and is furious.”

Ethiopian migrant Kebatu, 41, sparked the spate of protests outside the notorious asylum seeker hotel in July after he was arrested following a sex assault on a school girl in Epping.

He was later found guilty at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court of touching and trying to kiss the girl, who was in her school uniform, in Epping on 7 and 8 July and of a sex assault on an adult woman who tried to intervene.

He carried out the attacks just eight days after arriving in Britain on a small boat.

Kebatu, described as a sexual predator who showed no remorse, by sentencing Judge Christopher William, had only been in prison for four weeks after being jailed for 12 months on September 23.

It is understood he was released after midday.

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said: “Remember: they told you that local mums who protested outside the hotel where this sex attacker stayed were the problem.”

MP for Chelmsford Marie Goldman said: “I am closely following developments and am in contact with the police and the prison.

“The police must do everything they can to ensure that this man is returned to custody immediately so that he is deported at once.

“Once the manhunt is over, there must be a full, rapid public inquiry into how this happened.

“This is utterly unacceptable and has potentially put my constituents in danger.”

An officer from the Prison Service has been suspended while what happened is investigated.