Prison that released sex offender Kebatu had already freed another convict by mistake

The Essex jail, at the centre of a high-profile incident over the wrongful release of migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu, erroneously released another prisoner two years ago. The prisoner, incarcerated at HMP Chelmsford, was Junead Ahmed, a 36-year-old conman from Brentwood who had posed as a doctor to scam a £2m luxury home rental before masterminding his own breakout.

The revelation, emerging amid heated Commons exchanges, adds further embarrassment for Justice Secretary David Lammy, who yesterday ordered an urgent overhaul of release protocols following Kebatu's two-day period at large in east London. The Ethiopian national, convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and another woman just weeks after crossing the Channel in a small boat, was meant for immediate deportation under the early removals scheme (ERS). Instead, a "human error" saw him released on Friday, prompting protests outside asylum hotels and a two-day manhunt that ended with his arrest in Finsbury Park on Sunday.

Kebatu, 32, who had been staying at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, made inappropriate comments to the teenager before attempting to kiss her on July 7 - eight days after his arrival in the UK on June 29. The following day, he assaulted a woman by placing a hand on her leg and complimenting her appearance.

A three-day trial at Chelmsford and Colchester Magistrates' Court in September ended in guilty verdicts on five counts; sentencing heard his "firm wish" for deportation.

Ahmed, meanwhile, was released in June 2023 after staff accepted a fake email from the "Royal Courts of Justice" granting him bail. Awaiting sentence for his property swindle, he remained at large for two days before Essex Police arrested him in a Shenfield loft.

The ruse, first reported by the Romford Recorder on September 10, 2025, amid guilty pleas to an escape conspiracy, prompted the suspicion of authorities after two other inmates, Adam Mohammed and Charlie Whittaker, were the focus of bogus emails urging their release.

After a probe established the emails were forged, a hunt began for Ahmed and those who helped him.

Ahmed's wife, Nazash Akhtar, 41, and Whittaker's mother, Charlotte, 49, were later arrested. Police identified Aaryan Noor Ali, 20, as the man who had created and sent the fake emails from the court.

Ahmed was found by officers hiding in the loft of a house they raided in Shenfield, Essex, 10 miles from the jail. He received four years in November 2023 for his original offences, plus additional time for the breakout.

Ahmed, Charlotte Whittaker, Charlie Whittaker, Akhtar and Noor Ali admitted last month conspiracy to escape lawful custody, while Adam Mohammed admitted attempting to escape lawful custody.

Detective Chief Inspector Rob Huddleston described it as a "sophisticated operation" that "unravelled quickly" after suspicious follow-up fakes alerted staff.

Yet critics say it exposed significant flaws: no phone verification and limited checks on "official" documents. Mark Leech, editor of The Prisons Handbook, warned of a "system in crisis" starved of investment.

In the Commons yesterday, Mr Lammy faced criticism from the Opposition. Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick described Kebatu's blunder as a "national embarrassment", remarking: "The only illegal migrants this Government are stopping are those that actually want to leave the UK."

He referred to "Calamity Lammy" for failing to deport a man "who tried to be deported". Former minister Caroline Johnson asked: "How many prisoners released in error are still at large?"

Mr Lammy did not respond directly, insisting: "A single release in error is one too many", prompting Mr Jenrick to respond: "Dear oh dear. Where to begin?"

Mr Lammy announced Dame Lynne Owens, ex-Met deputy commissioner, will chair an independent probe, consulting victims on the impact. Meanwhile, a prison officer has been suspended and no ERS releases from Chelmsford will take place this week.

New safeguards - described as the "strongest ever" - require a duty governor's physical presence at handovers, plus greater accountability for senior staff. An "urgent review" of all checks is underway.