Manhunt for Ethiopian asylum seeker sex offender accidentally released

He is more likely to have stayed in London. If he buys himself a new outfit and a cheap backpack for his things he won't be easy to spot in crowds.

Mysterious definitely.

How many people have to "set free" or sign a prisoners out? I don't know, but surely more than just one person processes them?

escaped

That's one irrelevant comment StripeyGran. This isn't competition time.

Maybe your young family doesn't live in Epping, but previous comments about presenting data to young children to reassure them when scared, (!!), and telling residents they were gullible, were very much in the GN domain last month.

This event has done nothing to calm any fears, just added to them.

I don't live in Epping. I was making the point that we don't always know where danger lies.

The event is an utter farce.

Something very very odd going on. The person who sparked riots has mysteriously been accidently set free?

😂

AGAA4

Hopefully he will be caught soon. He could have gone by train to anywhere by now.

Not with the cost of fares over any distance!

That's one irrelevant comment StripeyGran. This isn't competition time.

Maybe your young family doesn't live in Epping, but previous comments about presenting data to young children to reassure them when scared, (!!), and telling residents they were gullible, were very much in the GN domain last month.

This event has done nothing to calm any fears, just added to them.

Hopefully he will be caught soon. He could have gone by train to anywhere by now.

escaped

So where are the people on here who say that it's silly to be fearful of such depraved lechers hanging around the High Street? I'm sorry, but I bet tonight they don't live in Epping and have young children.

I don't know, where are they?

I've never read anything other than it's sensible to keep safe?

3 doors down from me lives a drug dealer if that helps.

I doubt whether he headed for Epping either, but it's close proximity to London will make those who live there feel uneasy. Its half term there this week coming. All the more concerning for families in the area who should be allowing their children the freedom of going out on their own.
If a member of the public was alert enough to recognise him and film him on their phone, then the police should have him caught without delay. 🤞

Indeed, growstuff. Why would he?

Police know that he caught a train at 12:41. The Met were informed just 16 minutes later at 12:57 that he had been released in error.

That train stops at Stratford at 13:06 and London Liverpool Street 13:14. Probably too late to mobilise officers in time to apprehend him at a station but he will be easy to track though CCTV.

I’d be very surprised if he wasn’t apprehended today (Saturday).

petra

Galaxy

How do you accidentally release someone. How does that happen.

When the government’s contract out to a company like Serco, it’s quite easy 🤬
They can’t keep track of offenders on Tag. What hope with a violent dangerous criminal 😱

Honestly, any chance to have a go at the present government, and not checking facts first.

It's the fault of whoever made the mistake.

escaped

It doesn't mean that if he caught the London train he is there. You can get off at Stratford, then catch the Central Line and be in Epping in less than an hour start to finish.
I agree with a previous poster, it's unimaginable what his victims are feeling now.

Who knows?

Unless this is all some very elaborate plan, he wasn't to know that he would be released. I wonder if he would have known enough about the transport system to plan a trip to Epping. Personally, if I were him, Epping would be the last place I would want to be.

It doesn't mean that if he caught the London train he is there. You can get off at Stratford, then catch the Central Line and be in Epping in less than an hour start to finish.
I agree with a previous poster, it's unimaginable what his victims are feeling now.

GrannyGravy13

He has been photographed in Chelmsford City centre this afternoon. Prison issue tracksuit and his possessions in a clear plastic bag.

He looks totally relaxed, chatting with two pals

I saw the video.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c0mxrnyj879o

He’s obviously being given directions to the railway station as that’s the direction that he and one of the other men in the video are gesturing towards while the other looks down as his phone. What evidence do you have that they are his "pals" and not just some men he asked directions from?

You can walk from Chelmsford prison to Chelmsford railway station via the High Street in ten minutes. A man walking around in a grey tracksuit isn’t going to attract attention - although someone saw fit to record this so they must have had suspicions, maybe recognised him., maybe called the police.

Prison Service sources said the release was down to human error. It is understood the prison officer who authorised the release has been removed from duties while an urgent investigation takes place.

One prison source described it as a “disaster waiting to happen” because of the high volume of releases being processed by inexperienced staff, with dozens of prisoners serving different tariffs being released at the same time.

Sods Law said it had to be this particular man.

GrannyGravy13

He has been photographed in Chelmsford City centre this afternoon. Prison issue tracksuit and his possessions in a clear plastic bag.

He looks totally relaxed, chatting with two pals

I saw that. Apparently he caught a train to London. It all seems weird. If there was some monumental c*ck up (which I assume it was), how come he was able to arrange to meet people? Did he have his phone on him? How come he had his possessions?

I think somebody is going to be collecting a P45 before very long.

So where are the people on here who say that it's silly to be fearful of such depraved lechers hanging around the High Street? I'm sorry, but I bet tonight they don't live in Epping and have young children.

It beggars belief, it really does.

He has been photographed in Chelmsford City centre this afternoon. Prison issue tracksuit and his possessions in a clear plastic bag.

He looks totally relaxed, chatting with two pals

petra

Galaxy

How do you accidentally release someone. How does that happen.

When the government’s contract out to a company like Serco, it’s quite easy 🤬
They can’t keep track of offenders on Tag. What hope with a violent dangerous criminal 😱

HMP Chelmsford is run by HMPPS (His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service) not by Serco.

It doesn't sound as if he was handed over to Immigration Enforcement (Home Office) but just released and caught a train to London.

Almost beyond belief.

I doubt if the police are the only people hunting for him. He might not survive long on the loose in England.

Maybe he's down at the coast hitching a rubber boat for a lift back to France.

Can you imagine what this is like for his victims.

Babs03

This is a first, have never heard of a convicted criminal being accidentally released.
And if he had his possessions in a clear plastic bag that means he was checked out of the prison and given his stuff back as he left. Release procedure was followed, so how did this happen??
Heads need to roll for this.

No it’s not. 87 prisoners were released in error last year! It’s in the link above.

What is truly shocking is that his face has been on front pages of newspapers and On TV because of his sex attacks which started the Epping protests which then went around the country! Nobody involved in his release appeared to recognise him.

Babs03

This is a first, have never heard of a convicted criminal being accidentally released.
And if he had his possessions in a clear plastic bag that means he was checked out of the prison and given his stuff back as he left. Release procedure was followed, so how did this happen??
Heads need to roll for this.

There are quite a lot every year 😡

We have to just hope that he doesn’t realise that grey tracksuits are almost exclusively prison garb. If he doesn’t, and changes his clothes there is no chance of finding him.