A fugitive paedophile from Yorkshire has been tracked down to Cambodia and arrested following a major investigation by North Yorkshire Police.
Damien Midgley was tried for child sex offences at York Crown Court in 2014 but he did not attend the hearing. He was convicted in his absence and sentenced to six years in jail. A warrant was issued for his arrest.
Midgley, 39 and formerly from Aberford near Leeds, is believed to have spent time in Thailand before going to Cambodia.
He is currently in custody in Cambodia and arrangements are being made by North Yorkshire Police, the National Crime Agency and the Cambodian authorities to have him deported to UK.
Detective Inspector Jane Guymer of North Yorkshire Police said:
Our officers have worked tirelessly to bring a convicted paedophile Damien Midgley to justice.
Midgley clearly thought that by fleeing the UK he would be somehow immune to the sentence that the courts handed him in his absence.
However, this case proves that international barriers are no obstacle when it comes to ensuring vile and cowardly child sex offenders are held to account for their actions.
