Warwick Spinks arrest: Child sex attacker back in prison
A violent child sex offender who fled the UK and went on the run for 15 years is back in jail after being arrested in the Czech Republic.
Warwick Spinks, 48, was arrested at Heathrow after being flown from Prague on Thursday, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) said.
CEOP said Spinks was convicted in 1995 at Lewes Crown Court of numerous sexual offences against boys in Hastings.
He was jailed for seven years, reduced to five years on appeal in 1996.
His offences included serious sexual assault at knifepoint, taking indecent images of children and taking a child without lawful authority.
He was released on licence on condition that he was not allowed to leave the UK without permission.
He breached the conditions in 1997 and was recalled to prison, but went missing.
Following extradition from the Czech Republic he will serve the 18 remaining months of his sentence.
His arrest followed an international investigation involving officers from CEOP, the Metropolitan Police and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca).
Spinks was arrested by Czech police in August 2012. He had been using numerous aliases , including Willem Van Wijk and William Spinks, CEOP said.
CEOP chief executive Peter Davies said Spinks was a high-risk child sexual offender.
"I hope this arrest sends a clear message to other missing child sexual offenders that however far you travel to avoid facing the consequences of your actions, we will track you down and bring you to justice," he said.