A recent analysis of foreign nationals imprisoned for sexual offenses in England and Wales reveals that 457 of the 1,731 jailed offenders—approximately 26%—origin from five countries: Romania, Pakistan, Poland, Ireland, and India. The data, obtained through a Freedom of Information request, highlights stark disparities in crime rates among nationalities, with Bangladeshi migrants disproportionately represented, as over 42% of those imprisoned for sex crimes in the UK are from Bangladesh. Kenyan offenders follow at 37%, trailed by Sudanese, Ethiopians, and Eritreans.
The total number of foreign nationals convicted of sexual offenses has risen by 9.9% in the past year, outpacing the 3.8% increase for British offenders. Cases like that of Hadush Kebatu, an Ethiopian asylum seeker deported after multiple sexual assaults in Essex, have drawn public scrutiny. Kebatu’s controversial deportation—funded by the Home Office with hundreds of pounds—sparked nationwide protests and riots. Similar controversies include an Egyptian-born asylum seeker convicted of rape in London, later found to have a prior terrorism-related conviction in Egypt, and a Syrian suspect linked to both a synagogue attack and an alleged rape while on bail.
Shadow Secretary of State for Justice Robert Jenrick emphasized the need for transparency, stating, “This is yet more evidence that migrants from some nationalities are more likely to commit certain crimes.” He called for full disclosure of offender data by the Ministry of Justice amid growing public concern over foreign national offenders.
