Andrew Alderman,one of the10 most-wanted British criminal suspects hiding in southern Spain handed himself in

Andrew Alderman, who was sentenced to 10 years in jail for indecent assault and the rape of a girl under 16, handed himself over to Britain's Consulate General.He is the fourth person on the "most-wanted" list to be tracked down since it was launched two weeks ago."This is excellent news," said Denise Holt, Ambassador to Spain. "This is another good example of the close cooperation between our two countries."Crimestoppers and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) started Operation Captura on November 6, publicising details of suspects they believed were on the run in the Alicante region.Within 24 hours of its launch, two of those on the list, Anthony Kearney and Donna McCafferty, who are both accused of fraud, had been apprehended.A third suspect, Alan Gordon who was wanted for drug offences, was found in prison in Majorca for separate offences he committed in Spain.
Mick Laurie, Crimestoppers' chief executive, said Alderman had been forced to hand himself because of the publicity the scheme had attracted.
"This is yet another great success for Operation Captura. Due to Alderman's face being so widely circulated, the pressure became all too much and he decided to give himself up," Laurie saidAndrew Alderman, 49, from Maidstone, fled this country before he could be sentenced in August 2006 after being convicted of the rape and indecent assault of a 14-year-old girl.He was placed on a list of top ten Most Wanted criminals on the run in Spain earlier this month in a joint operation launched by Crimestoppers and the Serious Organised Crime Agency and an appeal was made to the British ex-pat community on the Costa Blanca to shop him.
As a result of the pressure put on Alderman he handed himself in to the British consul in Madrid at 10am this morning (Tuesday).He will go in front of a Spanish court in the next two weeks before he is sent back to Kent to be re-sentenced.
A judge at Maidstone Crown Court gave him a ten-year prison sentence in his absence, but he is now facing longer behind bars for trying to cheat justice. It is believed he moved between France and Spain to escape capture.His victim’s mother this afternoon said she was struggling to accept that Alderman was in custody after being told by phone 30 minutes after he gave himself up.She said: “I just couldn’t believe it, I keep taking deep breaths and pinching myself to make sure it is all really happening and that I did actually get that call.“I called my daughter straight away to tell her, she just laughed and cried, and kept laughing and crying, it really hasn’t sunk in yet.“It is amazing news, we are going on holiday next week to Tenerife together for the first time since my daughter told me everything, that will be a brilliant way to celebrate.”She added: “When he is back on British soil – I want to see him sent down. I hate him, I will never feel anything but hate for him.”
Detective Inspector David Berry, who worked on the rape case as part of Kent police’s child protection team, said: “This is a major thing and shows other criminals that our police system does work, and that the world is not a small place anymore, it’s harder to hide from justice.
“Being on the Most Wanted list is a huge pressure on someone, and I think he decided he couldn’t hide from it anymore

Posted in: Majorca