Friday March 30, 2007
Most wanted website scores its fifth most wanted offender
The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre has successfully located its fifth ‘Most Wanted’ offender.
Colin Taylor has been arrested just ten weeks after appearing on the Centre’s website at www.ceop.gov.uk/wanted. The 46 year old was arrested in the Newcastle area this morning by officers from Northumbria Police.
Taylor, aged 46, was posted on the site in January. He was believed to have fled the UK, moving through destinations in the Indian Subcontinent, Far East and Europe.
A combination of public sightings and intensive intelligence gathering by officers from the CEOP Centre and Northumbria Police led to today’s arrest. Their attention was drawn back to the UK when a member of the public contacted police following a potential sighting in Bristol.
Julian Norris, Offender Management Group Leader at the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre said: “This is a fantastic result for both Northumbria Police and the CEOP Centre. Extensive efforts have been made to track Taylor since he appeared on our website for failing to comply with his notification requirements.
We are delighted with the success of the Most Wanted website so far. By working alongside Crimestoppers and local police forces we have managed to find five offenders in just over four months. This success is a credit to the hard work of all concerned, and in particular members of the public who have been instrumental in guiding our efforts by coming forward with information.
I hope they will continue to demonstrate their support by regularly visiting the site and taking a look at the details of the offenders. If you think you know where any of those offenders are, passing on information is easy. Calls can be made directly to the Force concerned, or to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
As ever, the ongoing success of Most Wanted relies heavily on responsible behaviour from the public. By working with us in a constructive way, they’re helping to ensure that missing offenders have increasingly few places to hide.
Detective Chief Inspector Allan Brown from Newcastle Area Command said: "A warrant was executed at an address in Newcastle in the early hours of this morning and Taylor was arrested inside the premises, by officers from Newcastle’s Public Protection Unit.
The officers have been in frequent contact with colleagues at the CEOP Centre to trace this offender who has failed to comply with his registration and monitoring requirements.
This case should send out a clear message to registered sex offenders who consider breaching the requirements of their registration, that no stone will be left unturned in our efforts to trace them, regardless of where in the world they decide to go.
We are grateful for the support we have received from our colleagues at the CEOP Centre, the public who have called in with potential sightings and Crimestoppers.
The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre continues to appeal for information about outstanding offenders, John Murrell, Joshua Karney and Peter Wheatherley. They are sought for failing to comply with notification requirements under the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
Murrell was last seen in the Worcestershire area. He is known to have links with Belfast, Aberystwyth and Blackpool.
Weatherley is missing from the South Yorkshire area but is known to have links in the north of England. Intelligence also indicates that he could be in Spain, or elsewhere in Europe.
Karney has connections in the Lancashire area but is known to travel throughout the United Kingdom.
Further information and photographs can been found at www.ceop.gov.uk/wanted
The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre joined forces with Crimestoppers following the success of the charity’s Most Wanted initiative. The CEOP section was launched last November as the UK’s first national website dedicated to locating offenders who have failed to comply with notification requirements. This is an arrestable offence, with a punishment of up to five years imprisonment.
Ends
NOTES TO EDITORS
Members of the public can safely help locate ‘missing’ offenders by viewing photos and descriptions via the CEOP and Crimestoppers websites. If they recognise someone they are urged to contact the local police force, or if they wish to remain anonymous they can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
This initiative forms a key element of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre’s approach to tracking and bringing offenders to account. All individuals published on the site have previously been convicted for an offence for which they have already served punishment within the criminal justice system. They are sought because they have subsequently failed to fulfil their requirements as part of their placement on the Sex Offenders Register.
Details of previous offences will not be disclosed to the media for the reasons stated above.
Photographs of offenders will only be published with the consent of the local police force. Individual forces are under no obligation to publish their offenders on the Most Wanted site. Further offenders will be considered for inclusion on the ‘Most Wanted’ site in consultation with local police forces.
The decision to publish the details of all offenders detailed on the site has been risk assessed by the CEOP Centre and relevant local forces.
The CEOP Centre works in both online and offline environments to protect children from sexual exploitation. Full information on all areas of work as well as online safety messages and access to online reporting can be found at www.ceop.gov.uk.
The organisation is affiliated to the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and powers are derived from the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005. It is based in Pimlico, London with developing outreach channels to all areas of both domestic and international policing as well as industry and specialist support and educational faculties.
For further information please contact Clive Michel / Sarah Shakespeare at : The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre on 0870 000 3434 or 0207 238 2312.