Chelmsford MP Marie Goldman has demanded a transparent national inquiry into the accidental release of a migrant sex offender.
Hadush Kebatu, 41, was thrown in the Essex jail for sexually assaulting a teenager, after being slapped with a 12-month prison sentence.
However, after his release, the Ethiopian asylum seeker, boarded a train to London on Friday afternoon after he was erroneously released from HMP Chelmsford.
Speaking on GBN Breakfast with hosts Stephen Dixon and Anne Diamond, Ms Goldman said: “Chelmsford Prison is a big feature in the heart of Chelmsford. My local community are very used to having Chelmsford prison here.”
“It’s really unfortunate that it’s happened here, but it could have happened anywhere else in the country. Indeed, it has happened in other places in the country,” she warned.
The MP further cited a report from His Majesty’s Prisons and Probation Service that revealed 262 prisoners were set free early by mistake – 115 more than the previous year.
However, Hadush Kebatu nabbed a number of headlines on his arrest and later conviction during the Epping migrant protests.
“Now, of course, this is incredibly high profile. What has happened yesterday and, well, you couldn’t make it up, could you? I mean, it is incredible,” she fumed.
Ms Goldman shared that she felt “incredibly frustrated” at the Prison Service’s actions, after they suspended one of the prison officers involved with Kebatu’s case.
“Any system that relies on one person to decide whether to release a prisoner or not, I think is a system that’s not fit for purpose,” she slammed.
“We need to understand exactly what has gone wrong. And I think for that we need a full and rapid public inquiry.”
Her calls join similar outrage spread across the political spectrum, with shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick hitting out at “broken Britain” during the aftermath.
The MP called for a public inquiry into the matter
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“What we do need to understand what went wrong. So that is why we do need a full inquiry.
“But I think you’re right to say that there are some common sense changes,” she added, in agreement with Stephen.
“It shouldn’t even be possible to blame just one person for the accidental release of a prisoner. It should be a full system that’s in place to make sure that that doesn’t happen,” she added.
In another warning to Westminster politicians, Ms Goldman said the issue should not be treated as a “political football” along Whitehall.
The 41-year-old was last seen in London, Essex Police confirmed
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“Of course, the most important thing is that Kebatu is captured, that he’s put back into custody and then he’s deported,” she told the People’s Channel.
In shocking footage exclusively shared with GB News, Kebatu appeared to be speaking with two individuals holding a prison bag on Chelmsford High Street ahead of his train journey.
On Friday evening, Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy said he was “livid” at the prison’s mistake, announcing that the Ehtiopian migrant was “at large” in London.
Essex Police said that the sex offender was last seen in London while enquiries continue “at pace”.