The UK's Staffordshire Police have issued an international arrest warrant for a Portuguese man convicted in the UK of the rape in 2012 of a 12-year old girl.
António Pedro de Alves was convicted and sentenced to 11 years in jail but as he was on bail pending his trial had decided to avoid the inconvenienced of being locked up and, as he still had his passport, now could be anywhere.
A spokeswoman for Staffordshire Police said the warrant was issued following the trial of Pedro de Alves in the criminal court of Stafford in May 2013.
The spokesman did not explain what Staffordshire police officers have been doing between the court date in May last year and the current date of mid-September 2014, very little is seems and it has taken the victim and the Daily Mail to get this case the publicity it deserves before Alves repeats his ruse and rapes another girl, if he has not done so already.
As he did not turn up to his own trial, hardly surprising considering the severity of the charges and the likelihood of his conviction, "Agents of a special investigation team have launched an investigation using a variety of methods," the spokesperson waffled, adding that this unit is in contact with authorities in other countries through Interpol.
Without confirming that they are in contact with the authorities in Portugal, the most likely destination for Alves, the source said only that the Staffordshire police have provided "a significant amount of information to relevant authorities" and that the investigation remains open.
"While we try to locate Alves, we have no jurisdiction or power of law to go to another country until law enforcement officers have arrested the fugitive," she added
Alves, 41, was arrested in January 2012 for raping a 12 year old girl having posed as a 15 year old boy on Bebo, a social media site on the Internet, and luring her to his car. When she approached the vehicle Alves assured her he was the boy’s uncle, grabbed the child, dragged her into his car and raped her.
According to the UK’s Daily Mail newspaper, the victim who is now aged 15 is using the money she will receive from the victims compensation fund to employ private detectives to find the perpetrator and tell the police where he is living.
"She can not get on with her life as the man who raped her remains free," said the victim's mother.
As Alves was convicted in the UK, there is no nonsense about his name and photograph being made known to the public.
If anyone recognises him from the above photo, please call the police in Portugal or the Crimestoppers number in the UK 0800 555 111.
