The Kebatu Deportation Payment continues to spark debate after the UK government deported convicted sex offender Hadush Kebatu to Ethiopia.
Officials confirmed that removal teams escorted Kebatu onto a flight from Heathrow Airport on Tuesday night. Authorities emphasized that he cannot legally return to the United Kingdom.
Sources said Kebatu received £500 before boarding the flight. Removal teams offered the payment to prevent him from disrupting the process.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she used every available option to ensure his deportation. She stressed that his removal made Britain safer.
“I am pleased that this vile child sex offender has left the country,” Mahmood stated. “Our streets are safer tonight.”
The Kebatu Deportation Payment followed intense public criticism after officials mistakenly freed him from HMP Chelmsford last Friday. Staff released him instead of handing him to immigration authorities.
Kebatu spent two days on the run before police caught him in Finsbury Park, north London, on Sunday morning. Officers arrested him without resistance.
Earlier this year, a court found him guilty of sexually assaulting a young girl and a woman in Epping, Essex. His crimes outraged locals and prompted protests about the use of asylum hotels.
Justice Secretary David Lammy condemned the prison blunder and ordered an urgent investigation into release procedures. He promised that new safeguards would stop similar mistakes.
Lammy said the new measures require senior staff to verify every release. The process now includes five pages of checks before any inmate walks free.
“I made it clear that such mistakes are unacceptable,” Lammy said. “We will uncover every detail of what went wrong.”
Witnesses described Kebatu as confused when he left prison. A delivery driver told investigators that staff guided him to the nearby railway station several times before he finally departed for London.
The Kebatu Deportation Payment reignited public debate about how the UK manages high-risk offenders and deportations.
Many critics demanded stronger oversight and better communication between prison and immigration authorities. Others questioned why taxpayers’ money funded a payout to a convicted predator.
Officials said the payment helped avoid legal delays and ensured a swift removal. They argued that deporting Kebatu immediately protected the public.
The Kebatu Deportation Payment now symbolizes both the government’s determination to act decisively and the urgent need for reform in release procedures.
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