Norman Baker has warned that Epping hotel migrant Hadush Kebatu could “easily vanish” after being accidentally released from prison.
Speaking to GB News, the ex-Home Office Minister issued the bleak prediction following confirmation from police that he boarded a London-bound train this afternoon.
The asylum seeker from Ethiopia had been sentenced to 12 months in prison after sexually assaulting a teenage girl and woman in Epping.
In staggering footage exclusively shared with GB News, Kebatu appeared to be speaking with two individuals holding a prison bag in hand on Chelmsford High Street ahead of his train journey.
Norman Baker has issued a bleak prediction for the whereabouts of Epping hotel migrant Hadush Kebatu
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GB NEWS / SUPPLIED
Delivering his verdict on the release, Mr Baker told GB News: “He could disappear. It may well be that he’s got Ethiopian connections in London that we don’t know about.
“Maybe he’s using his mobile phone to contact them, in which case the police ought to be able to track him down.”
He added: “London is a city of 10 million people, he can easily vanish in that city. And it’s more difficult to find him than it would be in say Chelmsford.
“It’s going to be a massive manhunt which goes way beyond Chelmsford. It involves the Metropolitan Police.”
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Calling for all foreign criminals to be “deported as soon as possible”, the ex-Home Office Minister explained: “Clearly, people who identify as sexual predators of any sort should be deported as soon as possible.
“And one of the criticisms I’ve had of the Home Office for some time is that the time between someone arriving, whether they’ve been invited or not, and actually being deported when they shouldn’t be here, it’s far too long, far too long.”
He added: “And one of the things that we have to sort out in this country is getting people out of the country very quickly who shouldn’t be here, and that’s not what has been happening so far.
“In fact, under the last Government, I have to say, the policy under their breath, was actually to delay dealing with people, because they thought that was a deterrent to people coming here if they were delayed in terms of being unable to work.
Mr Baker told GB News that all foreign criminals should be deported ‘as soon as possible’
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GB NEWS
“And they were to be delayed in being satisfied and to settle down, they thought it would stop them coming. That was the policy. It’s completely wrong, it was the opposite policy we need.”
A Prison Service spokesman told GB News they are “urgently working with police” to return him to custody following a “release in error” at HMP Chelmsford.
They assured that “public protection is our top priority” and have “launched an investigation into this incident”.
A spokesman for Essex Police said: “We were informed by the prison service at 12.57pm today (Friday 24 October) of an error this morning surrounding the release of an individual.
“As a result of that, we have launched a search operation to locate them and are working closely with partner agencies.
“These fast-paced enquiries have shown that the man boarded a London-bound train at Chelmsford Railway Station at 12.41pm. We understand the concern the public would have regarding this situation and can assure you we have officers working to urgently locate and detain him.”