Migrant Sex Offender Paid £500 to Facilitate Deportation After Resisting

Deportation Facilitation Payment

• 💰 Hadush Kebatu, a migrant sex offender, was given a £500 discretionary payment by removal officials to facilitate his deportation to Ethiopia.
• ⚠️ This payment was made because Kebatu began to disrupt the deportation process on his flight.
• ✈️ Officials stated the payment avoided a slower and more expensive process, including detention and potential legal challenges.

Background of the Offender

• ⚖️ Kebatu was jailed for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman while residing in an asylum hotel.
• 🔓 He was mistakenly released from prison by staff before his deportation.
• 🔍 A two-day manhunt was conducted to bring him back into custody following his release.

Payment Context and Concerns

• 🤝 The £500 payment was a decision made by the removal team, not ministers, to avoid political sensitivity.
• 📉 This amount is significantly less than the £1,500 sometimes offered under the government's Facilitated Returns Scheme for voluntary departures.
• 🗣️ The situation has caused concern, as an individual convicted of a sexual offense was paid to leave the country.

Arrival in Ethiopia

• 🇪🇹 Upon arrival in Ethiopia, Kebatu was released by Ethiopian police.
• 🌍 This release is considered normal unless Ethiopian authorities had specific reasons to detain him, unlike his deportation which occurred at the end of his UK sentence.