Britain’s justice minister on Friday said he was “appalled” after an Ethiopian asylum seeker and convicted sex offender whose crimes sparked protests was released from jail in error.

The high-profile case earlier this year ignited demonstrations which swiftly spread to other towns where asylum seekers were believed to be housed, as well as counter-protests.

Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was jailed last month for sexually assaulting a teenage girl and a woman.

Justice Minister David Lammy expressed outrage at the accidental release earlier on Friday, adding that Kebatu “must be deported for his crimes”.

“We are urgently working with the police to track him down and I’ve ordered an urgent investigation,” he said on social media.

At the time of the offence, Kebatu had been housed at the Bell Hotel in Epping, northeast of London, where around 130 other asylum seekers have been accommodated and which became the target of repeated protests following his arrest.