WATCH: 'Epping migrant sex attacker' spotted speaking to locals in staggering footage after being accidentally freed from prison

In the footage, filmed on Chelmsford High Street at 12:07pm today, Kebatu is seen being handed a banana by one of the two men, and appeared to be discussing directions as he gestured with his arm down the road he was on.

Kebatu clutched the banana and clear bag with his belongings as he walked away from the two men on the busy street.

The woman who shared the footage with GB News told National Reporter Will Godley, Chelmsford resident said she was "incredibly concerned" that Kebatu was accidentally released and "out on the street".

She told Will that she "followed him for a little while" as he left the two men, who he "chatted to for a little while".

The witness then "followed him further into Chelmsford and down a street towards the Cathedral" where she left him, admitting she was "fearing for her own safety".

The asylum seeker from Ethiopia had been sentenced to 12 months in prison after sexually assaulting a teenage girl and woman in Epping.

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Sharing more details recounted by the eyewitness, Will explained: "If he was to carry on on that road, we don't know if he did, he would eventually have ended up at Chelmsford train station.

"All of these areas are very close to the prison where Kebatu was serving his sentence, and had been there for four weeks."

He continued: "The Schuh store on Chelmsford High Street was nought point six mile walk, a 20-minute walk from the prison when the woman saw a man she believed to be Hadush Kebatu at 12.07pm.

"That would be nought point three mile walk to the train station where she believed he was heading. She doesn't know what they were discussing in the video, but she was very worried about her own daughters and their safety."

A Prison Service officer has been removed from their duties following the incident, GB News understands.

There is currently a major police presence in Chelmsford, with a helicopter flying over the city centre.

A Prison Service spokesman told GB News they are "urgently working with police" to return him to custody following a "release in error" at HMP Chelmsford.

They assured that "public protection is our top priority" and have "launched an investigation into this incident".

A spokesman for Essex Police said: "We were informed by the prison service at 12.57pm today (Friday 24 October) of an error this morning surrounding the release of an individual.“As a result of that, we have launched a search operation to locate them and are working closely with partner agencies.

"These fast-paced enquiries have shown that the man boarded a London-bound train at Chelmsford Railway Station at 12.41pm. We understand the concern the public would have regarding this situation and can assure you we have officers working to urgently locate and detain him."