Ethiopian migrant paid £500 to avoid costly deportation delay

Shiva K Dhakal
National Press Corporation(NPC)
United Kingdom— A migrant sex offender who was mistakenly released from prison was given a £500 payment after threatening to disrupt his deportation from the UK to Ethiopia, government sources have confirmed.

Hadush Kebatu, an Ethiopian national, had been jailed for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman while living in an asylum hotel in Epping, Essex. He was mistakenly freed by prison staff on Friday but was re-arrested two days later.

The Home Office confirmed Kebatu was deported on Tuesday night and arrived in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, on Wednesday morning.

According to No 10, the £500 payment was made by the removal team as a “pragmatic” decision to avoid delays and higher costs after Kebatu threatened to disrupt his deportation flight.

A spokesman for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the decision avoided “a slower, more expensive process for the taxpayer, which would have included detention, re-booking flights, and possible legal challenges.”

Kebatu was accompanied by five escorts on the flight and was described by officials as being “forcibly deported.”

Under the UK’s Facilitated Returns Scheme, foreign nationals who voluntarily agree to leave the country can receive up to £1,500. However, Kebatu’s application for the scheme was rejected because the government wanted his removal to proceed without delay.

“Forcible” deportations typically do not include payments, though officials can approve discretionary payments to ensure removals go smoothly.

Ethiopian police told the BBC that Kebatu was briefly detained upon arrival but later released, as there was “no legal basis for his continued detention,” according to Federal Police spokesman Jaylan Abde.

The payment has provoked strong political criticism.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called it “an outrageous waste of taxpayers’ money,” saying Kebatu “should have been deported immediately, not released and sent home with pocket money.”

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson Max Wilkinson said: “Public trust was already damaged by Kebatu’s wrongful release — and this latest revelation will anger people even further. The government must fix our fundamentally broken immigration system.”