The manhunt for Hadush Kebatu, an asylum seeker and convicted sex offender who was wrongly freed from prison, continues.
The Ethiopian national had been serving a 12-month sentence at HMP Chelmsford since September. He was due to be released in order to be immediately deported, but instead he was able to board a train to London.
The mistake triggered a manhunt that now involves three police forces looking for the prisoner. His current whereabouts are unknown.
Here, Sky News examines how the event has unfolded:
Kebatu is released from HMP Chelmsford wearing a prison-issued grey tracksuit. He is also holding a clear plastic bag containing his possessions.
The prison released him on the expectation that he would be picked up by immigration enforcement, and the Home Office was ready to take Kebatu to an immigration removal centre, it is understood.
But it is unclear exactly what happened next.
A lorry driver, who was delivering equipment to Chelmsford jail on Friday, told Sky News correspondent Tom Parmenter he saw the “confused” offender outside the facility being directed by prison staff to the town’s railway station following his release.
The offender is said to have returned to the prison “four or five times” but was turned away.
Footage later appears to show Kebatu in Chelmsford High Street.
In the video he appears to ask a group of people for help.
12.41pm: The prisoner boards a Greater Anglia London-bound train at Chelmsford station.
12.51pm: The train arrives at Shenfield station, in the Essex borough of Brentwood.
12.57pm: Essex Police are informed by the prison service that Kebatu was mistakenly released.
The force says it has launched a search operation and is working closely with partner agencies.
By the time the search started, the train that Kebatu boarded at Chelmsford had already called at Shenfield, according to Trainline data.
Essex Police appeals to anyone who has seen the prisoner to contact the force immediately.
1.12pm: Kebatu gets off the train at Stratford in east London.
8pm: The last time Kebatu was seen.
The Metropolitan Police say the prisoner was spotted in the Dalston area of Hackney.
He was pictured still wearing his prison-issue grey tracksuit top and bottoms, and was carrying his belongings “in a distinctive white bag with pictures of avocados on it”.
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12.37pm: The Metropolitan Police announce it has taken over the manhunt for Kebatu.
In a statement, commander James Conway says senior investigating officers are “examining CCTV” from around Stratford station and further afield, to establish information about the prisoner’s subsequent movements.
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2.00pm: A delivery driver who spoke to Kebatu outside Chelmsford prison tells Sky News the “confused” offender was guided to the railway station by prison staff.
He says Kebatu approached him with no idea of where he was supposed to go.
He adds the prisoner must have been outside the prison for roughly “an hour and a half”, before he finally left, adding: “They [the officers] were basically sending him away, saying, ‘Go, you’ve been released, you go’.”
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4.30pm: Met Police Commander James Conway makes a direct appeal to Kebatu.
“We want to locate you in a safe and controlled way. You had already indicated a desire to return to Ethiopia when speaking to immigration staff,” he says.
“The best outcome for you is to make contact directly with us by either calling 999 or reporting yourself to a police station.”
He says he believes Kebatu has access to funds and that he’s sought assistance from members of the public and station staff in both Chelmsford and London.
Read more:
How many prisoners are released by mistake?
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What happened in the lead up to the wrongful release?
Kebatu was found guilty of five offences after a three-day trial at Chelmsford and Colchester magistrates’ courts in September.
His case led to protesters and counter-protesters taking to the streets in Epping, Essex, and eventually outside hotels housing asylum seekers across the country.
The incidents occurred in July, eight days after he arrived in the UK by small boat.
Use the arrows below to click through a timeline of how the case has unfolded.
