Family of schoolgirl sexually assaulted by wrongly released migrant 'infuriated' by ordeal

The father of the 14-year-old schoolgirl sexually assaulted by Hadush Kebatu says his family feels "massively let down and infuriated" by the migrant's accidental release from prison.

Kebatu, who was found guilty in September of sexually assaulting the girl and a woman in Epping, Essex, was arrested on Sunday morning in London's Finsbury Park after just under 48 hours at large.

In a statement read by Epping Forest councillor Shane Yerrell on Sunday evening, the schoolgirl's father said Kebatu being released from HMP Chelmsford due to a system failure was "unbelievably irresponsible".

"Myself and my family feel massively let down and infuriated by HMP Chelmsford, the police, the justice system and our Labour government. They have all failed," the statement read.

"Not just us as a family, but they have failed everyone in the country."

Earlier on Sunday, Justice Secretary David Lammy said an exclusive Sky News interview will be used as part of an independent inquiry into the mistaken release.

Speaking to Sky's national correspondent Tom Parmenter, a delivery driver who spoke to Kebatu at HMP Chelmsford described him as being "confused" as he was being guided to the railway station by prison staff. The migrant is said to have returned to the prison reception four or five times before leaving the area on a train.

Mr Lammy also said he would make a statement about the incident in parliament on Monday.

He said: "We need to get to the bottom of how this happened and why it happened, and, of course, on behalf of the public, I want to be reassured that it won't continue to happen and that the systems that we put in place, the checks and balances, are there to reassure the public."

The schoolgirl's father said in the statement that he went to the Chelmsford prison to "seek some answers" after learning of Kebatu's accidental release but he was allegedly "greeted with hostility and complete disregard for anything I said or asked".

The statement said: "I really hope that nobody else's child has to experience what my daughter has.

"I hope he will be deported immediately, as the longer he was roaming the streets, the more threat he posed to women and children of this country.

"I had to find out from a reporter that my daughter's attacker was accidentally released in the day, then be sent images and videos of him walking around throughout the day before the police even alerted her mother."

Police are believed to be questioning Kebatu "to get to the bottom of what's happened" and to learn what his movements were between his accidental release from prison on Friday and his arrest.

Mr Lammy called his accidental release from prison on Friday "totally unacceptable" and said Kebatu will be deported back to Ethiopia this coming week.

Sky News understands the deportation will take place on Tuesday.

Earlier on Sunday, Sir Keir Starmer said police officers had worked "quickly and diligently to bring him back into custody" and that the government had "ordered an investigation to establish what went wrong".

Read more:
Timeline of how manhunt for Hadush Kebatu unfolded
HMP Chelmsford released second person by mistake in 2023

Government has 'serious questions' to answer

Opposition parties have said that the government has "serious questions" to answer over the incident.

Chelmsford's Liberal Democrat MP Marie Goldman called for a "rapid" national inquiry, adding: "The government has serious questions to answer and major work to do to make the system fit for purpose. It certainly isn't at the moment."

Speaking on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, Zia Yusuf, Reform's head of policy, said that while he was "relieved" Kebatu had been re-arrested, the case was a sign of Britain's "descent into a Monty Python sketch".

Referring to the earlier Sky News interview with the witness, he said: "This is a man who the eyewitnesses said was actively trying to go back into prison after being accidentally let go."

He said the case was "absolutely shocking" and questioned how victims of sexual assault could have confidence in the government.

It is understood Kebatu, who crossed the Channel in a small boat to enter the UK on 29 June, left prison with an amount of personal money but was not given a discharge grant to cover subsistence costs.

He was convicted of two counts of sexual assault, one count of attempted sexual assault, one count of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity and one count of harassment without violence on 4 September.

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