The number of prisoners released in error more than doubled in the year leading up to March, government figures show.
A report by the prison service said 262 inmates were freed by mistake in this period, compared to just 115 in the year to March 2024.
It comes as police launched a major manhunt for migrant sex attacker Hadush Kebatu, 41, who was today released from prison instead of being deported.
The Ethiopian national who arrived in the UK by small boat was due to be transferred from HMP Chelmsford to an immigration removal centre.
Police have since confirmed that Kebatu boarded a London-bound train at Chelmsford railway station at 12.41pm today after being freed by mistake.
He was sentenced to 12 months behind bars last month after he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl and groped the woman who came to help her.
Chelmsford’s MP Marie Goldman said the latest figures show Kebatu’s accidental release was not ‘a problem that happened by chance’.
‘I don’t know how you could describe it any other way,’ the Liberal Democrat politician said.
Witnesses this afternoon described seeing a man matching Hadush Kebatu’s description in Chelmsford town centre
Kebatu, 41, was supposed to be sent to an immigration detention centre to be deported but was instead accidentally let loose
‘I’ve said this multiple times now, but my mind is blown by how this could possibly happen.’
She added that HMP Chelmsford’s status as a remand prison meant it should be ‘used to having prisoners coming and going’.
She said: ‘I think that’s quite important to understand about Chelmsford and why it’s an even bigger c***-up than we might even think.
‘All prisons are used to having prisoners coming and going. But when it’s a remand prison, your prisoners come and go with even more frequency.’
She added: ‘I understand that they have suspended a member of staff. I think it’s far bigger than a member of staff.
‘How could it possibly just be the responsibility of one single member of staff to decide whether to release or not a prisoner, or how to release a prisoner.
‘So, I think there’s huge questions to be answered about this.’
In its latest report, His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) maintained that instances of prisoners being released in error ‘remain infrequent’.
However, it believes the recent rise is linked to changes in the law, and the early release scheme which Labour introduced in September last year.
Thousands of inmates have been freed early under the plans that are aimed at reducing jail overcrowding.
Ethiopian national Kebatu (pictured) tried to kiss a schoolgirl before groping a woman who came to her aid in a series of offences which took place in July
Kebatu’s arrest sparked a wave of anti-migrant protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers across the country, including outside the Bell Hotel where he was staying (pictured)
Some prisoners have seen the time they serve behind bars reduced from 50 per cent to 40 per cent.
A number of the 262 were released in error when the early release scheme began, HMPPS said, because of an issue with a repealed breach of restraining order offence.
Those prisoners were rearrested and returned to custody, the report, published this summer, said.
Prisoners are considered ‘released in error’ if they are wrongly discharged from prison or court, and it can happen when a sentence is miscalculated or the wrong person is discharged, among other reasons.
HMPPS said year on year changes in the number of prisoners released in error ‘should be considered in the context of the number of releases in the same time period and changes in the operational environment’.
Kebatu, who sparked nationwide protests after sexually assaulting a woman and a 14-year-old girl, is still on the run after being released this morning.
Videos circulating on social media show a man matching his description chatting to people in Chelmsford town centre – before gesturing to his right.
The man is wearing a grey tracksuit and carrying a clear plastic bag with a copy of Salvation Army’s War Cry inside – a magazine which is popular in prison.
Police have since confirmed that Ketabu boarded a London-bound train at Chelmsford railway station in Essex at 12.41pm today.
Around 100 protesters gather outside The Roundhouse hotel, that houses asylum seekers in Bournemouth on Friday
Sir Keir Starmer said the mistake was ‘totally unacceptable’, adding that the Government is supporting police trying to track him down.
One witness said they had seen a man matching the description of Kebatu on Chelmsford high street asking for directions to the train station.
The man, in his 40s, who did not want to be named, said: ‘I work and live in the town centre. That man was here at around 1pm and he stood out.
‘He was asking for directions to the train station, which is about a 20 minute walk from where he was.
‘He had belongings with him. He looked lost and confused. I just thought he was in a mess, in a bad way.
A senior justice source today described Ketabu’s release as ‘the mother of all f*** ups and said it was down to human error.
It is understood that a prison officer has been removed from discharging duties while an urgent investigation takes place.
A Prison Service spokesman said: ‘We are urgently working with police to return an offender to custody following a release in error at HMP Chelmsford.
‘Public protection is our top priority and we have launched an investigation into this incident.’
The Ministry of Justice was contacted for comment.
