A convicted British child abuser has been deported after living as a fugitive in San Fernando, Cebu, for the past three years.
Leslie Charles Russon, aged 52, was jailed in the UK for seven years in 1993 after being convicted of molesting three teenage boys.
After his release, the registered sex offender was obliged by the court to periodically notify authorities about his location and address.
Despite this constraint, Russon continued to make frequent short trips to South East Asia — always returning in time for his scheduled appearances at a police station.
However, in September 2015 he failed to turn up for a mandatory appointment, and began living as a fugitive.
He arrived in Cebu on September 23 and presented a return ticket dated December 21 of the same year. He did not board that flight and dropped out of view.
As we reported in February, Russon was eventually tracked down by agents of the Filipino fugitive search unit (FSU).
Speaking yesterday (Tuesday, April 10) Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said: “We will deport him for posing a risk to Filipino children whom he might victimise while he continues to remain in the country.
“The UK’s National Crime Agency officials have sought Russon’s deportation, and warned that the latter had no intention of returning to the UK.
“His continued presence here poses a risk to children.”
Restrictions on registered offenders arriving in the Philippines have been substantially tightened recently. Last month, for example, we reported how a Norwegian sex offender planning to visit a 16-year-old was turned away from Clark Airport. His home country had tipped-off the Philippine authorities of that 29-year-old Kim Vegar Kristoffersen was due to land in the country on March 19.
This was just the latest success in the BI’s campaign to thwart the entry of undesirable aliens, including sex offenders, into the Philippines.
Last year alone, BI personnel intercepted 87 Registered Sex Offenders at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and other ports nationwide.