US paedophile suspect found by school

A suspected paedophile who fled America has been living in London for the last four years - yards from a school, the Evening Standard can reveal today.

David Williams, 44, disappeared from his home in Wylie, Texas, after being accused of a string of sex attacks on young girls.

He was placed on a "10 Most Wanted" list in the US but went to ground after arriving in Britain - by allegedly using false documents - in 1998.

Williams led a secret double life, using a false name and working as a builder in east London.

Scotland Yard only discovered he was wanted in America after he was arrested at a bedsit in Colworth Road - 50 metres from Leytonstone High School - for allegedly harassing a 41-year- old woman. He was taken for questioning to Chingford Police Station.

His arrest comes as the Met warned that fugitives from abroad, most noticeably Europe and the US, are increasingly fleeing to Britain and vanishing within the country's diverse ethnic communities.

Williams, who has no previous convictions, was remanded in custody last Wednesday after appearing for a preliminary extradition hearing at Bow Street Magistrates' Court.

It is alleged that between January 1996 and January 1997 he sexually assaulted three young girls in Texas. If convicted in the US, he could face life imprisonment. The harassment charge against him has now been dropped by British authorities so that extradition proceedings can move forward.

US County Sheriff Terry Box said an officer could be sent to London to collect Williams and return him to the US where he will also face a charge of unlawful flight from custody.

Mr Box said: "We are waiting for the British courts to tell us when he will be ready to be picked up. This depends on whether he intends to fight extradition; if he does, it could take years.

"He's wanted by police for several charges of sexual abuse of a child. These are very serious charges and we placed him on our 10 Most Wanted list to obtain any information we could in locating and arresting him.

I am very pleased to hear of his arrest and appreciate any assistance given to us by the British authorities."

A manhunt was launched for Williams, who is married, when he disappeared in October 1997 on police bail. Texas police carried out credit card checks, interviewed family members and circulated his description across the US but authorities failed to find him. He is believed to have arrived in Britain the following summer.

A neighbour of Williams's in Leytonstone, who asked not to be named, said: "We had both lived here for about a year but I probably only spoke to him three or four times.

"He didn't call himself Williams - he used a false name. He had a girlfriend over here and she used to share his room. She was studying to be a teacher but she left him about two or three months ago."

Scotland Yard has revealed that it received 304 requests to arrest foreign nationals from international police forces last year, more than double the number in 2000.