A DANGEROUS sex offender who fled Britain for Ireland and then America in an attempt to evade justice has been jailed.
Wayne Wilson, dubbed a 'prolific paedophile' by police, fled in 2018 despite being under investigation in relation to a report of sexual abuse.
Detectives from Northumbria Police's Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT) discovered Wilson had fled to Dublin, then onto the United States.
Working with Homeland Security, officers tracked him down to Kansas, where he was detained in April 2021.
'Despicable offences'
Wilson was returned to Britain in June and charged with three counts of sexual touching on a child under 13 and remanded into custody.
The 38-year-old, of no fixed abode, admitted all charges and on Friday, October 8, he appeared at Newcastle Crown Court, where he was jailed for six years and two months.
Speaking after the sentencing, the officer in charge of the case, Detective Constable Elizabeth Biggins from POLIT, said: "This man is a prolific paedophile who spent years on the run trying to avoid being brought to justice for a series of despicable offences.
"I hope this goes to show the lengths we are prepared to go to in order to protect children and bring offenders to justice."
During his court appearance, it was revealed that Wilson was already the subject of a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) following convictions for voyeurism and indecent images before he fled.
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