Justice secretary and deputy prime minister David Lammy has announced an independent investigation following a “human error” which saw a migrant sex offender released into the community.
Hadush Kebatu, an Ethiopian national, was set to be transferred to an Immigration Removal Centre and deported to Ethiopia. Instead, he was mistakenly released into the community. Following an intensive manhunt involving the Metropolitan, Essex, and British Transport Police, he was arrested and returned to custody on Sunday.
Dame Lynne Owens, a former director general of the National Crime Agency, will chair an eight-week independent investigation which will establish the full facts of the incident, ask what went wrong, consider whether appropriate protocols were followed, assess whether staff had sufficient experience, training and resources, and make recommendations to reduce further releases in error.
Lammy also announced that immediate reforms have been introdcued to strengthen release checks across all prisons – which he described as “the strongest ever”.
The reforms mean that the duty governor must be physically present for the release of any foreign criminal who is being removed from prison early to be immediately deported. There will also be a clear checklist with governors required to confirm every step has been followed before any release takes place.
Lammy said: “I am livid on behalf of the victims and the public that this mistake was allowed to happen.
“Any release in error is one too many. That is why I have taken immediate action to introduce the strongest release checks ever and launched an independent investigation to get to the bottom of what went wrong and to tackle the rise in accidental releases which began rising under the previous government.”
Some 262 prisoners in England and Wales were released by mistake in 2024-25, up from 115 the previous year.
Lammy argued the mistaken release of Kebatu was a "symptom" of the prison system Labour inherited from the previous Conservative government, pointing to a 30% cut in prison staffing, and noting that more than half of frontline prison officers now have less than five years' experience.
"It's little wonder when the system has been brought to its knees that errors like this happen," he added.
Responding to Lammy’s announcement, Steve Gillan, general secretary of the Prison Officers' Association, said: “We have a criminal justice system in crisis with our prisons overcrowded and understaffed with a staff cohort under pressure like never before.
“Unless these issues are dealt with urgently then mistakes like this are likely to happen.”
Mark Fairhurst, national chair of the POA, added: “The POA will fully support our members who are involved in this incident. We will not accept any scapegoating of staff to satisfy political narratives.
"There is a severe lack of training for staff at all grades, an issue we have highlighted to HMPPS for at least a decade, the pressure on staff is intolerable, and this will inevitably lead to mistakes. These issues should have been addressed a long time ago, but as usual, our employer waits for a headline and then acts.
“Our main concern now is to support our members and co-operate with any investigation to ensure this is never repeated and staff are competent and confident in their roles.”