British sex offender extradited from Thailand imprisoned in Scotland

UPDATE

The British man who fled to Thailand after being convicted of possessing over 60,000 indecent images of children in 2014 has been imprisoned in Scotland.

On Monday, Hamilton Sheriff Court jailed 46 year old William Dempster, from Tayside, for 18 months and placed him on the sex offenders’ register.

Dempster was found guilty in 2014 but absconded to Thailand instead of attending sentencing in court.

He hid in Pattaya, Thailand, for eight years until he was finally arrested in May after a joint investigation by the Royal Thai Police, Police Scotland, and the National Crime Agency.

Thai authorities processed an extradition request and sent Dempster back to Scotland on September 23.

Detective Chief Inspector from the Police Scotland Paul Livingstone said…

“Police Scotland officers are committed to relentlessly pursuing criminals who think they are untouchable or above the law and Dempster thought he could evade justice by fleeing the country.

“Our officers worked tirelessly in partnership with our law enforcement colleagues and did not give up on arresting him and bringing him back to Scotland to face the consequences of his crimes.

“I am grateful and pleased to acknowledge the assistance from colleagues in this country and abroad in locating and arresting Dempster which has culminated in this positive and satisfying conclusion today.”

Dempster was previously arrested in England for “producing, having in possession and disseminating child pornographic material between 2008 and 2013.”

ORIGINAL STORY

Yesterday, Thai police arrested a 46 year old Scottish man in Pattaya who was convicted of possessing indecent images of children in May 2014.

William Dempster fled the UK eight years ago before he could be sentenced and has been on the run in Thailand ever since.

The Royal Thai Police, Police Scotland and the National Crime Agency worked together to arrest him under an international arrest warrant yesterday, May 30.

Police Scotland released a statement saying William will now be subject to extradition proceedings.