Nigel Farage has condemned a 12-month prison sentence for a Bell Hotel migrant guilty of multiple sexual assaults and an “absolute disgrace”. The asylum seeker was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old and a woman in Epping, Essex.
His sexual rampage sparked weeks of migrant hotel protests, both in Epping and across England. Blasting the judge’s ruling, Mr Farage told LBC: “It’s just unbelievable. I mean, what this case shows is that the mothers who started protesting outside The Bell Hotel were right.
“They were absolutely right to protest outside that hotel for safety on the streets, for their daughters and for other women. Secondly, the sentence, what on earth is going on? Those crimes, of which he was convicted, carry up to 14 years in prison. Up to 14 years.
“He gets 12 months. Imagine if he’d said something nasty on Twitter. I’m being serious. I mean, this sentence lays bare the two-tier policing and justice that we are living in in our country.
“This is one of the best examples yet. This sentence is an absolute disgrace.
“So, before we discuss whether he should be deported or not, ask ourselves, how does Lucy Connolly get 31 months for a tweet that was wrong but deleted very quickly, and this guy – four separate charges in which he was convicted – just gets 12 months?
“Something is very, very wrong here. It feels like the bad guys are getting protection.”
Mr Farage said Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 41, must be deported, even if that means he walks free in Ethiopia.
He added: “If he doesn’t walk free in Ethiopia, he walks free here in a couple of months’ time.”
It has been reported that Kebatu could avoid deportation, despite his sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl.
The UK has no formal returns agreement with Ethiopia, and just one offender from the country was deported in 2024.
Kebatu’s lawyer said the offender wants to be deported back to his home country, though this would still require the agreement of Ethiopia.
A Home Office spokesman said: “When foreign nationals commit serious crimes in our country, we will always do everything in our power to deport them.
“This Government deported almost 5,200 foreign national offenders in its first year in office, a 14% increase on the previous year, and we will continue to do everything we can to remove these vile criminals from our streets.”
The asylum seeker told two teenagers he wanted to “have a baby with each of them” before trying to kiss them and putting his hand on one of the girls’ thighs.
