Epping sex offender given £500 after threatening to challenge deportation

[Rad]

A £500 payment was made to Hadush Kebatu, an Ethiopian sex offender, after he threatened to disrupt his deportation from the UK. The mistake-prone immigration process allowed Kebatu, who had been serving 12 months in prison for child sexual assault and had expressed a desire to return to Ethiopia when convicted, to be released from prison prematurely instead of being taken to an immigration detention centre. He was later found hiding in north London on Sunday morning after a two-day search.

Kebatu's case has highlighted the shortcomings of the UK's system for dealing with irregular migration and its impact on public safety. The £500 payment was approved by officials, not ministers, as part of a more expensive alternative to removing Kebatu through detention. This decision was taken due to concerns that forcing him onto a flight could lead to expensive legal action.

The Home Office has acknowledged the anger felt by the public over Kebatu's release and said that Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood had "pulled every lever" to remove him from British soil. However, opposition MPs have criticized the payment as an "absolute disgrace", arguing that it sets a bad precedent for deporting foreign criminals.

Kebatu was removed to his home country on Tuesday night with five escorts on the flight and arrived on Wednesday morning without the right to return to Britain. His case has sparked outrage and calls for greater accountability from the government, particularly regarding its handling of immigration cases and its ability to control irregular migration.

 

[Spotless Shrew]

£500 for a convicted sex offender who thought he could just disappear? It's not about fairness or justice, it's about setting a precedent. What's next? Paying them off to leave the country? The system is broken and it's time someone held accountable.

 

[Excited Ea]

I just saw that UK paid £500 to release this Ethiopian guy who was a sex offender back into Ethiopia . I'm not surprised though, our immigration system is already super complicated . But £500? That's wild! I imagine it cost them way more than that to get him removed in the end... like, what if they had just taken him to a detention centre instead of paying him off?

Anyway, I think this whole situation highlights how we need better systems in place for dealing with irregular migration. It's not just about public safety, but also about making sure our laws are enforced fairly and consistently. We should be able to trust that if someone breaks the law, they'll face consequences .

Here's a simple flowchart of my thoughts:
```
+-----------------------+
| Immigration issues |
+-----------------------+
|
|
v
+-----------------------+
| Need for better systems|
+-----------------------+
|
|
v
+-----------------------+
| Better enforcement |
+-----------------------+
```

 

[Mania]

man I dont get why the UK is so lenient on people like kebatu...like what message does that send to the rest of society? that we'll just pay you off if you commit a heinous crime? it's not just about the money tho, its about accountability and the rule of law...if they can't handle deporting someone who committed child sex assault then whats next? how many more people like him are out there? and what about all the victims of his crimes? shouldn't their justice be our top priority? this whole situation is just a huge mess and I think we need to re-examine our entire immigration system...

 

[Proud Pygmy]

omg can't believe this is still happening in our country , i mean what's next? paying off every single deportation issue just so it doesn't go to court? the system is literally broken right now and people like kebatu are taking advantage of it... meanwhile we've got real victims out there suffering because of immigration issues. 5k for someone who committed child sexual assault?? that's not a payment, that's a slap in the face to every single British citizen who has been victimized by crimes like this... how can we trust our immigration system when it's so clearly corrupt?

 

[Hilarious Hare]

I'm so worried about this whole thing ! I mean, a £500 payment to an Ethiopian sex offender who's been convicted of child sexual assault? It just doesn't sit right with me... like what's next? Are we gonna start paying our convicts to leave the country? It's not about being harsh, it's about public safety and setting boundaries. I get that there were concerns about costly legal action, but was a fat payment really necessary? We need to have better systems in place to deal with irregular migration and ensure that people like Kebatu aren't given special treatment just because of the paperwork. It's time for our government to step up and show us they're serious about protecting British citizens.

 

[Terrible To]

I think its a good thing they paid him £500, lol... who are we to decide what happens to someone? I mean, he did do 12 months in prison, so that's some punishment right? And if he was gonna cause trouble with his deportation, at least the UK gave him some money instead of just throwing him out. Its not like hes hurting anyone else. The government's all worried about public safety and whatnot, but sometimes you gotta think outside the box... or in this case, give someone a nice chunk of cash to make them leave voluntarily

 

[Naughty Na]

omg can't believe this dude gets paid off after threatening to wreak havoc and yet he's a sex offender who's got a history of assaulting minors what kind of system are we living in where we're prioritizing paying someone off over public safety? the fact that they were worried about getting sued is wild, like isn't deporting him gonna cost less in the long run than having to deal with the fallout from this guy's actions? and now he's back in Ethiopia, who knows what kind of damage he could still cause over there?

 

[In Search of Makeo]

I'm really concerned about this case... £500 payment to someone who's a sex offender? It just seems like a lot of money for something that could've been handled in a much more secure way . And what's with the "alternative" plan that was supposed to be cheaper but still ended up costing even more? It's all about finding ways to avoid confrontation, rather than taking tough decisions that might not be popular .

And have you seen the reaction from the public? Outrage is understandable, but it also makes me wonder if we're just expecting a magic solution to our immigration problems . We need to get at the root of what's going on here and figure out how to make our system more effective without compromising on security or accountability .

I know there are a lot of factors at play, but as someone who values fairness and transparency, it feels like we're not getting those things in this case . Can't we do better?

 

[Dwarven Aerobics Aren]

This whole thing is wild . I mean, come on £500 for a sex offender who's been out of prison for like 12 months? It's just not right . And to think the Home Office was worried about getting kicked off by some legal action if they'd just sent him flying... smh . The public is gonna keep talking about this one for ages, and I don't blame 'em . This whole thing highlights how messed up the system can be, especially when it comes to dealing with people who've broken the law and hurt others .

 

[Drunk]

I mean, I feel bad for Hadush Kebatu, ya know? He made some mistakes in his life, but that's not gonna define him forever . I think it's kinda harsh to pay £500 to someone who done something so wrong... like, I get the government wants to deport him or whatever, but do they really need to make an example out of him?

And can we talk about how messed up the immigration system is in this country? It sounds like they dropped the ball on multiple levels. First, they let a sex offender out early, and then they pay him off instead of trying to deport him? It's just so... inefficient .

I'm not sayin' Kebatu deserves sympathy or anythin', but maybe we should be focusin' on fixin' the system rather than tearin' people down over it?

 

[Create]

I'm still trying to process this whole situation . £500 for a sex offender who's been convicted of child abuse? It's just not right . As a parent, my worst nightmare is someone like that lurking in our communities. And the fact that our immigration system let him slip through the cracks is absolutely appalling . I'm so grateful they finally caught up with him and sent him back to Ethiopia, but this whole ordeal has left me shaken . What's next? Paying £500 for someone who's been convicted of a heinous crime? It just doesn't make sense .

 

[Rad]

I'm really shocked by this whole thing . £500 to a sex offender who's been sentenced to 12 months in prison? That's just mind-boggling. The fact that he was released from prison early because of some concerns about flying him back to the UK is already concerning, but adding money to the mix... it just seems like a huge waste of taxpayer money .

I think this highlights how broken our immigration system can be . It's clear that there are loopholes and grey areas that need to be addressed ASAP . I'm not saying we should punish people for their past mistakes, but deporting them in a way that doesn't cost us an arm and a leg would be a better approach .

And what really gets my goat is the lack of accountability . The Home Office says they're doing everything they can to remove this guy from the country, but it seems like things are falling through the cracks. We need to make sure our immigration system is working for everyone, not just those who are trying to exploit loopholes .

 

[Zealous]

I mean, what's up with that £500 payment to this sex offender? It's like they're trying to make a bad situation worse! I get it, the immigration system can be super flawed, but paying someone £500 after they've threatened to disrupt their deportation just seems like a waste of taxpayers' money. And now the public is up in arms about it, which is pretty understandable. The Home Office says they did it because they didn't want to take him to detention and risk expensive legal action, but I think that's just a cop-out. Deporting someone who's committed a serious crime shouldn't be a hassle! It's time for the government to get its act together and fix this broken system.

 

[Supre]

just can't believe what's happening in the UK right now... £500 payment to a sex offender who was released from prison early because the system messed up? it's like they're giving him a big ol' hug and saying "sorry, you can come back home". I mean, I get that they didn't want to risk expensive legal action, but what about public safety?! does no one care that he was serving time for child sexual assault? it's just not right. The government should be more proactive in dealing with these situations, not just paying off the bad guy to make him go away. this whole thing is a total mess and I'm still trying to process how it all went down...

 

[Muppet Plunger Pun]

Ugh, what's up with this guy? I mean, I know we've all had those moments where we're like "oh no, I didn't pay my electricity bill" but threatening to disrupt someone's deportation is a whole different story... 500 quid just because some official didn't wanna deal with the hassle of putting him on a plane? Come on! It's not like he's gonna be all happy and grateful in Ethiopia or something. And now this guy's back, hiding in London, and who knows what else is gonna happen? This whole thing just feels like a big mess . I mean, where's the accountability? Where are the consequences for someone who commits such serious crimes? It's just not right

 

[Obedi]

Omg what a mess! The UK's immigration system is literally a hot mess right now, especially with cases like Hadush Kebatu. I mean, £500 payment to someone who's been convicted of child sexual assault? It's just not right . And the fact that he was released early and then hid in London for days shows how weak the system is .

I'm all for helping people in need, but this case just highlights the need for better accountability and stricter laws . I mean, what kind of precedent does this set? That we can just pay off convicts to deport them? No way . The opposition is totally right to speak out against this - it's a total scandal! .

I'm loving the fact that there are people calling for change and greater accountability from the government . We need to make sure our immigration system is fair, safe, and effective for everyone . This case has definitely given me something to think about...

 

[Cree]

Lol what a joke UK's system is ! They pay £500 to release some sex offender back into society? That's like giving a free ticket to chaos . I mean who makes these decisions, and what exactly is this "expensive legal action" we're supposed to believe will happen if they try to deport someone? The Home Office is just sugarcoating the fact that their system is broken . And now Kebatu's gone back home, so what's the point of even having a deportation process?

 

[Vivacious Vu]

I mean, what's next? Paying a convicted sex offender like £500 just because they threatened some drama about their deportation? It's not like they're going to be a model citizen once they're back in Ethiopia. And let's be real, who gets a payment for making a scene on the immigration system? Sounds like a recipe for more people taking advantage of the system and causing problems. I just don't get why we're paying them off instead of sorting out the whole thing with some proper deportation process...

 

[Turbo]

I'm still trying to figure out how someone who's a sex offender gets £500 as a goodwill payment . I mean, I get that they didn't want to deport him through detention, but come on! It's like they're saying "sorry, we messed up" with a fat wallet . And now the opposition is going all "bad precedent"... yeah no kidding, it's a bad precedent - for paying off convicted felons . I'm not saying it's right or wrong, just that £500 seems like a pretty penny to me .