Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on October 29, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleAn Ethiopian sex offender was deported from the UK after being wrongly released from prison, sparking protests and public outrage.
LONDON (Reuters) -Britain said an Ethiopian asylum seeker who was wrongly released from prison following his conviction for sexual offences, crimes which sparked months-long anti-immigration protests, had arrived in Ethiopia on Wednesday after officials deported him.
Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was sentenced to a 12-month term in September for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman.
Officials accidentally released him from prison on October 24. He was then found and held after a three-day manhunt, with officials confirming he would then be deported.
"I have pulled every lever to deport Mr Kebatu and remove him off British soil," interior minister Shabana Mahmood said in a statement, calling him a "vile child sex offender".
"Last week's blunder should never have happened – and I share the public's anger that it did."
Kebatu's arrest for the sexual offences in July led to protests outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, 20 miles (32 km) north of London, which became a touch-paper for other demonstrations amid rising tensions over immigration.
(Reporting by Sarah Young, Editing by Paul Sandle)
Immigration is the process of moving to a country to live there permanently or for an extended period. It often involves legal procedures and regulations set by the host country.
Financial crime refers to illegal activities that result in financial gain, such as fraud, money laundering, and embezzlement. These crimes can have severe consequences for individuals and businesses.
Deportation is the act of removing a foreign national from a country, typically due to legal violations such as criminal activity or immigration offenses.
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