A 44-year-old man of Romanian nationality, wanted by British authorities for multiple sexual assault offences against an underage family member, has been arrested in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
The man was the subject of an International Arrest Warrant issued by the United Kingdom, where he faces charges carrying a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.
According to a statement from the National Police, the arrest followed a months-long investigation launched on 25th December 2024, after a communication from the Fugitive Location Unit of the General Commissariat of Judicial Police flagged the warrant.
The UK request for extradition stems from a case first reported on 5 October 2020, when the father of the alleged victim, then just 13 years old, filed a complaint with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). The complaint detailed allegations of inappropriate sexual contact between the teenager and the accused, a close family member.
The suspect was initially arrested but later released on bail. However, he failed to appear for his trial, scheduled for 23rd September 2021, prompting the British authorities to issue an arrest warrant.
After evading justice for more than three years, he was finally tracked down by officers from the Drug and Organised Crime Unit (UDYCO) in Las Palmas. Their operation, which involved intensive investigative work and close cooperation with the Provincial Brigade of Immigration and Borders, culminated in the man’s arrest on 25th April 2025.
Following his detention, the suspect was brought before the competent judicial authority in Spain. The necessary legal procedures have been initiated to transfer him to the UK to face trial.
