London police arrest a sex offender, an asylum seeker who was mistakenly released from prison

LONDON – London police announced on Sunday that they had arrested an asylum seeker convicted of sex crimes who was mistakenly released from prison in a mistake that embarrassed the government.

The Metropolitan Police said that Ethiopian citizen Hadush Gebrselassie Kibatu was arrested in the Finsbury Park area, north of London. Police said he would be returned to the custody of the Prison Service.

Before his wrongful release, Kibato had already been in national news because his arrest earlier this year for sexually assaulting a teenage girl sparked an outcry. Anti-immigrant protests in London And other cities.

Authorities said they were informed on Friday afternoon that Kibato, 38, had been mistakenly released into a prison in Chelmsford, Essex, and had been seen boarding a London-bound train there. British media reported that he was wrongly classified as a prisoner due to be released, instead of being sent to an immigration detention centre.

The migrant was sentenced in September to 12 months in prison for five offences, including sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in July in Epping, on the outskirts of London, just over a week after arriving in England by boat.

Thousands of people protested outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, north-east London, where he was staying with other newly arrived migrants. Multiple protests target others Hotels that accommodate immigrants Other British cities and towns followed, where some demonstrations were attended by far-right activists and spiraled into chaos.

The “Stand Against Racism” group also rallied in counter-protests.

The Prison Service opened an investigation, and one of the prison officers was removed from performing his duties while this was happening.

Government officials described the error as a “fiasco,” and the Justice Department opened an investigation to find out what went wrong and who was responsible.

“This man was behind bars for serious sexual offences,” Health Minister Wes Streeting told Sky News Sunday. “He was not supposed to be in this country. In fact, what was supposed to happen is that he was supposed to be taken away for deportation. So the idea that he is loose on our streets is a very dangerous idea. It is a colossal failure.”

The issue of unauthorized immigration – particularly the tens of thousands of migrants crossing the English Channel in overcrowded boats to reach the UK – has risen to the top of the political agenda in Britain. The government’s policy of using hotels to house migrants awaiting a decision on their refugee status has also come under heavy criticism.