Shropshire Star

Jailed: Shropshire paedophile caught in Kenya after sex attack on girl, 13

Geoffrey Fitton has been locked up for five years after he fled to Kenya before his trial.

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Geoffrey John Fitton

County police travelled to Kenya to arrest a paedophile fleeing justice for child sex offences.

Geoffrey John Fitton, 61, formerly of Wytheford Road, Shawbury, was jailed for five years last week after being convicted of four counts of sexually assaulting a child under 13.

It is the second time Fitton has been convicted of sex offences, after he was jailed for 14 months in 2016 at Blackfriars Crown Court.

On that occasion he had been caught in a sting by the paedophile hunting group Public Justice PHL.

He travelled to London to meet a 14-year-old he had contacted over the internet, who was actually one of the group's members.

After his latest conviction Fitton has been put on the sex offenders register for life, following a four-day trial at Shrewsbury Crown Court,

The trial came after police received a report on July 30, 2016, that Fitton had sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl he had met on the internet.

He was interviewed and summonsed to attend Telford Magistrates' Court on October 23, 2017.

But he failed to attend and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

It emerged that Fitton had fled to Kenya from Heathrow airport days before the hearing on October 17 – breaching the notification requirements of his previous sex offender registration order by doing so.

Arrest

In January this year West Mercia Police were contacted by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and told Fitton had been arrested by Kenyan authorities.

Following coordination between the NCA, the Crown Prosecution Service, Kenyan authorities, and specialist lawyers, three officers from West Mercia Police travelled to Kenya for five days in February, where they detained Fitton and bought him back to the UK to face justice.

He was remanded in prison and entered a not guilty plea at Shrewsbury Crown Court on March 19.

After a four-day trial Fitton was found guilty and sentenced for the offences.

Detective Sergeant Mathew Crisp today thanked those who had helped ensure that Fitton faced justice.

He said: "This was a complex case which involved working closely with law enforcement agencies on an international scale in order to locate and detain Fitton.

"I'd like to thank everyone who was involved in this case, including the National Crime Agency and Kenya National Police Transnational Organised Crime Unit.

"Without their action and support, we would not have been able to secure his arrest and bring him back to the UK to face justice."

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