Why was he free? Predatory paedophile from Portugal groomed and raped British girl, 12, before going on the run after police gave him bail and let him keep his passport...

 

Predator: Antonio Pedro De Alves, who had been living in Rugeley, Staffordshire, groomed a 12-year-old schoolgirl from the West Midlands by pretending to be a 15-year-old boy on social network Bebo...

 

 

Hello Friends!

 

A Portuguese child rapist given bail and allowed to keep his passport while awaiting trial is on the run.


Antonio Pedro De Alves, 41, who had been living in Rugeley, Staffordshire, groomed a 12-year-old schoolgirl from the West Midlands by pretending to be a 15-year-old boy on social network Bebo.
He raped the girl after luring her to a supermarket car park - but was traced and arrested after the victim went to police. De Alves was due to stand trial for rape last week at Stafford Crown Court.
 
But he skipped bail and was convicted in his absence of raping a child aged under 13, reported the Birmingham Mail. An international arrest warrant is now being prepared to track down de Alves.

A friend of the victim’s family told the newspaper: ‘It beggars belief that a foreign national accused of raping a child was ever allowed out on bail while he faced such serious charges.

‘The family just cannot understand how this man was allowed bail by the courts and to keep his passport. The fear is that he has now fled abroad, probably back to Portugal.’

De Alves first contacted the girl on Bebo after posing as a sports-loving teenager, then groomed her online over a six-month period and eventually convinced her to meet him in Cannock, Staffordshire.

Skipped bail: De Alves, 41, was due to stand trial for rape last week at Stafford Crown Court (pictured)

 However when she arrived at the car park, de Alves claimed he was a relative of the boy and had been asked to meet her because the teenager was running late, reported the Birmingham Mail.

'The family just cannot understand how this man was allowed bail by the courts and to keep his passport' - Friend of victim's family

The girl was immediately suspicious and attempted to run - but de Alves pulled her into his car and attacked her. She reported the attack in December 2011 and he was arrested.

De Alves then appeared at court but was bailed. The two-day trial then took place last week and the victim gave evidence. The jury found him guilty of one rape charge but acquitted him of another.

A spokesman for West Midlands Crown Prosecution Service told the Birmingham Mail that the judge in the case had ordered that an international arrest warrant for de Alves be prepared in 14 days.

Culled from The Daily Mail UK...

xoxo
Simply Cheska...