NI: Call for return of missing paedophile
Police in the North were under pressure today to seek the extradition of a convicted paedophile living in the Republic.
Paul Hunter Redpath, 35, sparked a massive manhunt after he breached his probation conditions last month.
He had pleaded guilty at Downpatrick Crown Court in Co Down 18 months earlier to sex offences against two young girls.
The former chef, originally from Stranraer in Scotland, was given a three-year jail sentence and the same length of probation for indecent assault and unlawful carnal knowledge of a 13-year-old girl.
Classed as a high-risk sex offender, he provoked alarm when he failed to return to his accommodation.
But the search by authorities on both sides of the border ended last night when the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) confirmed Redpath had turned up in the Republic.
He has now registered with the Gardaí and is subject to sex offender requirements in their jurisdiction, a PSNI spokeswoman said.
She added that the PSNI has shared all information and documentation on Redpath.
But with no details of his exact location, a member of the Northern Ireland Policing Board has called for him to be deported north of the border.
Democratic Unionist representative Ian Paisley Jr said: “I am very alarmed that a man who has engaged in such very serious crimes is at large in the Republic of Ireland.
“Irrespective of their regime, it is known that he is wanted in Northern Ireland and should be returned urgently.”
The PSNI was unable to confirm today whether any extradition would be sought.
