THE TRUTH ABOUT: The bell hotel | History Defined

All residents removed from asylum hotel in Epping, says council

Last year, The Bell Hotel became the focus of protests after hotel resident Hadush Kebatu sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl.

Evening Standard · Jun 11

'Ghosts Started The Fire': Iraqi Migrant's Bizarre Excuse After Torching Essex Hotels

An Iraqi asylum seeker, Rawand Abdulrahman, was jailed for 8.5 years for arson at two Essex hotels housing migrants. He blamed the fires on ghosts, highlighting tensions around asylum accommodations

International Business Times UK · Apr 28

Police debunk social media claims linking Epping car incident suspect to asylum hotel

Police say the speculation is ‘not helpful’

The Independent UK · Apr 15

A timeline of Epping sex offender’s arrival in the UK to his rearrest after prison error

Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu was accidentally released from prison instead of being sent to immigration detention

The Guardian - UK · Oct 26, 2025

In just 117 days ‘repulsive’ asylum seeker has sparked national anger and crises

Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu was convicted of the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl eight days after arriving in the UK.

Evening Standard · Oct 25, 2025

Asylum seeker released from prison in error seen in London area, police say

Ethiopian national Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu was accidentally set from HMP Chelmsford on Friday.

Evening Standard · Oct 25, 2025

Hadush Kebatu manhunt live: Met Police issue update after mistakenly released sex offender ‘takes trains across London’

Metropolitan Police make direct appeal to Hadush Kebatu to hand himself in

The Independent UK · Oct 25, 2025

Asylum seeker freed in error from prison seen taking train to London

Ethiopian national Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu had been jailed for the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl.

Evening Standard · Oct 24, 2025

Fourth man jailed for violent disorder outside hotel housing asylum seekers

Police said the 28-year-old acted in an ‘intimidating way, encouraging other people there to face off against our officers’.

Evening Standard · Oct 17, 2025

Essex asylum seeker hotel in ‘flagrant’ breach of planning laws, court told

Epping Forest District Council is taking legal action against Somani Hotels, which owns the Bell Hotel in Epping.

Evening Standard · Oct 15, 2025