Epping sex offender Hadush Kebatu was given 500 to 'stop him disrupting flight to avoid deportation'

"However, given Kebatu threatened to disrupt the flight, an operational decision was taken to facilitate his return. The alternative was a slower, more expensive process for the taxpayer, which would have included detention, a new flight and potentially fighting subsequent legal claims, and the cost of cancelling the flight alone would have run into several thousands of pounds."

"It's an absolute disgrace and it goes to the heart of how much this Government is messing up our immigration system. We have said we need to leave the ECHR (European Convention on Human Rights) and deport all foreign criminals as soon as possible, and we certainly shouldn't be giving them taxpayers' money to leave our country."

The Home Office deported Kebatu from the UK to Ethiopia with no right to return. The removal team provided a £500 payment as an operational measure after Kebatu threatened to disrupt the flight. A team of five officers accompanied him on the deportation flight. Kebatu had attempted to apply for a facilitated return scheme that can offer resettlement grants of up to £1,500 but that application was denied. Officials judged the payment cheaper than delaying removal, which could have required further detention, a new flight and potential legal challenges. The payment provoked political criticism given Kebatu's status as a convicted sex offender.

Read at www.standard.co.uk