Victim of wrongly-released Hadush Kebatu will be 'scarred for life' - 'I felt like I was in danger all over again'

Following the 41-year-old's deportation, Kebatu's victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has issued a statement.

The statement from the victim, which was read out by Epping councillor Shane Yerrell, said: "I was out with my friends and my mum called to say that the man had been released and he was out.

"I was in shock and straight away I felt so scared and so anxious and wanted to go home so I called my dad and he came to pick me up.

"We found out he was being deported and I was being told by everyone that he got paid £500 and when I got home I just cried because I felt like he got paid for what he done to me.

"I was so happy but upset at the same time.

"I think it's disgusting how me and my family have been treated in all of this and it's not fair that he was released by accident and I feel like I was put in danger all over again and the feelings from that day came back."

Meanwhile, the victim's family took aim at the Governement for the mistaken release.

"Myself and my family feel massively let down and infuriated by HMP Chelmsford, the police, the justice system and our Labour government. They have all failed," the statement read.

"Not just us as a family, but they have failed everyone in the country."

Weighing in on the matter, former Labour adviser Jo Phillips said: "That poor girl is going to be scarred for the rest of her life. There is no getting around it, and it's terrible for all of them."

"You can completely sympathise with the anger and the fury because everybody in the country, I'm sure when they saw that Kebatu had been accidentally released and then saw the footage of him looking genuinely confused.

"That's the other thing that's really weird about this case is that he went back and back and five times was apparently told to go.

"The best thing that anyone can hope for is that, of course, many people feel the sentence should have been longer, but actually he's gone.

"He's out of this country now," Ms Phillips finished.

However, GB News star Nigel Farage argued: "But it was a very short sentence."

The migrant, who was found guilty in September of sexually assaulting the girl, as well as another woman in Epping, Essex, was handed 12 months behind bars.

After his accidental release and arrest two days later, Kebatu was handed £500 before his deportation, which ignited a flurry of fury against the Government.

Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy has since announced that the Government would conduct an independent investigation into the accidental release.

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