The Met Police have issued an update on Epping sex attacker Hadush Kebatu – he was last spotted in Hackney, East London
Epping sex attacker Hadush Kebatu has been spotted with an avocado-patterned bag in London.
Kebatu – who was jailed for 12 months four weeks ago for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman in Essex – was mistakenly released by staff at HMP Chelmsford on Friday. He was due to be deported.
This evening, the Met Police confirmed he was last seen in the Dalston area of Hackney, East London at 8pm on Friday. He had previously been seen carrying his belongings in a clear prison-issued plastic bag, but has since been spotted holding a “distinctive white bag” with “pictures of avocados on it”.
A statement from the force said: “We continue to carry out extensive enquiries as the manhunt for Hadush Kebatu continues.
“Officers have now confirmed that he was last seen shortly before 8pm on Friday evening in the Dalston area of Hackney.
“He was still wearing his prison-issue grey tracksuit top and bottoms, but is now carrying his belongings in a distinctive white bag with pictures of avocados on it.
“Additional officers have been deployed to the area to carry out further searches, but we are appealing for the help of local residents to report any sightings as soon as possible. Anyone who sees Kebatu should call 999 immediately.”
It comes after witnesses said Kebatu returned to the prison gates in a “very confused state” several times in a 90-minute period before staff sent him away to a railway station.
Police said that he had taken a train from Chelmsford to Stratford, London, arriving at 1.12pm on Friday and then had taken “a number of journeys” across London and had “access to funds”.
A delivery driver described seeing Kebatu return to HMP Chelmsford in a “very confused” state “four or five times”, only to be turned away by prison staff and directed to the railway station.
The driver, named only as Sim, told Sky News that he saw Kebatu come out of the prison saying: “Where am I going? What am I doing?”
He said that Kebatu knew that he should be deported but the prison staff were “basically sending him away” and saying to him “Go, you’ve been released, you go”.
The driver said: “He kept scratching his head and saying, ‘where do I go, where do I go?’
“The fourth or fifth time (he went into the reception) he was starting to get upset, he was getting stressed.
“I’m not sticking up for the guy, but in my eyes, he was trying to do the right thing.
“He knew he was getting deported, but he didn’t know where he was going or how he should get there.”