Dear Editor,

The revelation this week that convicted sex offender, Hadush Kebatu, was handed £500 to ‘facilitate’ his deportation is nothing short of outrageous. This is a man who threatened to disrupt his removal from the UK – after saying he wanted to return to Ethiopia. After he was released from prison ‘by accident,’ prompting an expensive nationwide police search for him, he was rewarded with a ‘discretionary payment’ equivalent to 100,747 Ethiopian Birrs.

To put this in perspective, a quick internet search shows the average monthly salary in Ethiopia after tax is just 227.39 Birrs. That means the criminal Kebatu now has enough money to live comfortably for over 37 years in his home country, as a reward for coming to the UK illegally and sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman. This is not a resettlement grant – it’s a golden handshake for someone who should have been removed immediately and without any incentives at all.

Downing Street claims the payment was a pragmatic decision to avoid further costs. But they also say they want to deter further arrivals by boat. What message does this send? That threatening disruption pays off? That criminal behaviour is rewarded with cash incentives?

No wonder people are turning to support Reform. Our existing politicians seem utterly out of touch with public sentiment. While law-abiding citizens struggle with rising costs and crumbling services, convicted foreign offenders are being flown home with escorts and a pocketful of taxpayer’s cash.

This isn’t just a failure of policy – it’s a failure of principle. We need political leadership that puts public safety and the security of our borders first, not one that rewards threats with cheques.

L Jones, Newport