UK Home Office moves to deport Epping hotel migrant jailed for sexual assaults

The Home Office said it will seek to deport Ethiopian national Hadush Kebatu, 38, after he was jailed for 12 months for sexual assaults on a 14-year-old girl and a woman in Epping, days after he arrived in Britain. Kebatu was found guilty of five offences after a three-day trial at Chelmsford and Colchester magistrates’ courts, including attempted sexual aggression toward the schoolgirl and inappropriate conduct toward her friends. The case drew national attention as protests and discussions about asylum policies surged across the country. The sentencing hearing revealed Kebatu’s recent arrival in the UK and his residence at the Bell Hotel, where migrants were housed before the injunction was challenged in higher courts.

A judge at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court described Kebatu’s behaviour toward the two complainants as showing a “really poor regard” for women. He noted Kebatu appeared to be “feeling sorry for himself, knowing you were well and truly caught,” and that the defendant’s remorse seemed tied more to the consequences for himself than the harm caused. The judge said there was little known about Kebatu, who had refused to engage with a probation officer, and added that there was no realistic prospect of rehabilitation. Kebatu’s legal team had asked the court to consider deportation after the sentence, a view the defendant had previously held according to his defence counsel.

The court heard Kebatu, who wore a grey sweater and tracksuit bottoms, would “be deported as soon as possible” after serving his time, and his lawyer Molly Dyas highlighted the migrant’s long and arduous journey through Europe to reach the UK, noting his mental health deteriorated in the process. Extraordinary body-worn police footage shown during arrest depicted Kebatu breaking down in tears as he was handcuffed on a roadside. The judge underscored that Kebatu posed a significant risk of reoffending and imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, along with a requirement to sign the sex offenders register and pay £650 in court costs.

The teenage victim — who cannot be identified for legal reasons — gave a victim impact statement in which she recounted ongoing fear since the incidents. “Every time I go out with my friends I am checking over my shoulder. If I do go out, I go home to change what I’m wearing so it’s not school uniform. My school skirt now makes me feel exposed,” the girl said, adding that seeing the bench where the assault took place reminded her of what happened. A woman who Kebatu attacked also provided a statement, saying she was angry because she believed the offence showed a lack of remorse on his part, and she asked how he would feel if the situation had affected his own mother, daughter, or wife. The court heard that Kebatu had reached out inappropriately toward the group on both July 7 and July 8, encountering the 14-year-old on the bench and in the vicinity of the Bell Hotel, where he allegedly repeated the same pattern of advances, even as the girl wore her school uniform on the second day.

Opening the trial last month, prosecutor Stuart Cowen described how Kebatu approached the group of friends after offering them pizza on July 7. The defendant sat next to the 14-year-old girl and began making inappropriate comments, stating that he wanted to have a baby with her and inviting the group back to his hotel residence. The girl and her friends rejected the advances, as did Kebatu’s later efforts the following day when the girl was in uniform. The Crown contended that Kebatu’s response to rejection was to push for intimacy by coercive means, with the offences escalating in severity and causing visible distress to those involved. The trial established that Kebatu’s remarks at the scene suggested age did not matter to him, which prosecutors described as a particularly concerning pattern of behaviour given the victims’ ages.

In the wider aftermath of Kebatu’s arrest and sentencing, local authorities had previously secured an injunction to shut down the Bell Hotel, which had housed migrants, including Kebatu, before it was overturned at the Court of Appeal. The High Court is set to hear further proceedings on that matter next month. The case underscored ongoing debates about asylum accommodation and the treatment of migrants within the UK’s border system, as authorities balance public safety with humanitarian obligations. While Kebatu has indicated a desire to be deported, the Home Office’s plan to remove him will involve the normal legal processes for removal of foreign nationals who have served prison terms for serious offences.

Kebatu’s sentencing notes that he attempted to take his own life while on remand in prison, and the judge stressed that the risk of reoffending remained high. A probation officer’s report, which Kebatu reportedly refused to engage with, did not provide evidence of traumatic life experiences that might mitigate the sentence. The sentencing judge’s decision not to suspend the sentence reflected the seriousness of the offences and the likelihood of harm to the public. The UK government has in recent years conducted removals to Ethiopia and other countries as part of its asylum and immigration enforcement efforts, and officials indicated that Kebatu’s status as an asylum seeker would be a factor in the consideration of deportation following the completion of his sentence.

The victims’ statements and the details of the incident have prompted renewed discussions about how asylum accommodation settings are managed and monitored. While the immediate aim remains the administration of justice for the offences Kebatu was found guilty of, the ongoing policy conversation will continue to examine whether additional safeguards are warranted in facilities where migrants reside temporarily while their asylum claims are processed. The judge’s concluding remarks emphasized the need to prioritize the safety of the community and to acknowledge the impact of the offences on those involved, even as the case moves toward the next steps in Kebatu’s potential deportation process.