BI nabs convicted UK sex offender in Misamis Occidental

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines— A 64-year-old convicted sex offender from the United Kingdom was arrested in Misamis Occidental for allegedly running a child porn website, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Thursday.

In a statement, BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the suspect, identified as John Crotty, was collared in his rented home in Tangub City last September 15, after officers found evidence of him posting obscene photos of underage Filipino women across his social media accounts and website.

“The sex offender was reportedly jailed for nine years in the UK but moved to the country shortly after his release from prison,” Tansingco added.

BI Intelligence Chief Fortunato Manahan Jr., for his part, said the arrest – through joint forces of the BI and the Tangub City Police – stemmed from the information they received from British authorities, which revealed that Crotty was the subject of a “green notice” issued by the International Criminal Police Investigation Organization (Interpol) last February 21.

An Interpol “green notice” aims “to provide a warning about a person’s criminal activities, where the person is considered to be a possible threat to public safety.”

Mahanan further pointed out that the suspect arrived in the country to go into hiding on February 6, and has since overstayed his visa.

With this in mind, the BI said Crotty is now facing deportation and was placed under the BI’s blacklist, effectively banning him from re-entering the country. — Catherine Dabu, INQUIRER.net trainee

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