London, Yiannis Haniotakis

Reactions have been caused in Britain by the revelation that an immigrant, convicted of sexual crimesreceived £500 to leave the country.

Khandous Kebatu, who was deported to Ethiopia on Tuesday night accompanied by five guards, received the sum after threatening to cause serious disruption to his deportation flight.

Downing Street defended the decision on Wednesday, calling it “operational”, and noted that officials had earlier rejected Kembatu’s application to join a scheme offering up to £1,500 in resettlement aid.

According to the government, the alternative would be a “slower and more expensive process”, which could involve further detention, arranging a new, expensive deportation flight and managing potential legal appeals.

The incident, which has outraged British public opinion, began when Kembatu was accidentally released from Chelmsford prison last Friday. Instead of being taken to an immigration detention center pending deportation, he was released.

The mistake sparked a two-day manhunt, which ended with his re-arrest in London on Sunday.

Kembatu had entered the UK in June by crossing the English Channel in a small boat. He was staying at a hotel in Essex when he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl and a woman, sparking strong protests outside the accommodation structure.

In an interview with Sky News after his arrival in Addis Ababa, Kembatu claimed that the morning after his release he tried to surrender, telling officials to “take me, they’re looking for me”, but he said they “ignored” him.

London’s Metropolitan Police responded that it was “not aware of any evidence” to support these claims, adding that his actions on the morning of his re-arrest “resembled more of someone trying to avoid the officers, rather than surrendering”.

The revelation of the payment caused a political firestorm. The Conservatives called the decision “an absolute disgrace”, with a party spokesman saying it “shows how much this government is destroying our immigration system”.

Interior Minister Shabana Mahmoud said she shared the “public outrage” over the initial mistake, but stressed she had “done everything” to deport Kembatu. “Our roads are safer because of it,” he said.

The incident comes as the government comes under intense pressure to manage migration flows, with recent figures revealed by the Independent website showing that the UK has paid out £53m to migrants over the past four years as part of ‘voluntary return’ schemes.

Photo Source: Essex Police