Independent inquiry to be launched into how sex offender was mistakenly set free, says Lammy
Investigation to be launched into wrongful prison release of migrant sex offender
- Justice Secretary David Lammy announced an independent investigation into the wrongful release of sex offender Hadush Kebatu from HMP Chelmsford.
- Dame Lynne Owens, former deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, will lead the inquiry to establish facts and recommend measures to prevent similar errors.
- Kebatu, an Ethiopian national jailed for sexually assaulting a teenage girl, was mistakenly freed instead of being transferred to an immigration detention centre for deportation.
- Lammy revealed that releases in error have increased, averaging 17 per month between January and June 2024, up from 9 per month in 2023.
- New measures will tighten release checks for foreign prisoners being deported, requiring the physical presence of a duty governor, while critics highlighted the "endemic problem" of such releases. Independent inquiry to be launched into how sex offender was mistakenly set free, says Lammy