Hadush Kebatu, a sex offender mistakenly released from prison, was deported to Ethiopia with a £500 payment after he threatened to disrupt his removal. The payment was a decision made by the removal team for operational reasons, without ministerial involvement. The other option would have been a lengthier and costlier process of detaining Kebatu further and rescheduling his flight, which could have led to legal complications.

The cancellation of Kebatu’s flight would have incurred significant expenses. The 38-year-old had recently received a 12-month jail sentence for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman in Essex. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood expressed satisfaction at Kebatu’s deportation, emphasizing the enhanced safety of the streets due to his removal.

Initially set for deportation, Kebatu triggered a widespread manhunt in the southeast after fleeing to London from the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, where he had been staying. He was apprehended in the Finsbury Park area on Sunday morning by plain-clothed police officers and escorted back to prison.

Upon his return, Kebatu appeared confused and attempted to re-enter HMP Chelmsford multiple times, only to be redirected to the railway station by prison staff. An investigation is underway, and a prison officer has been relieved of duties related to prisoner discharge.