Most Wanted hands himself in

[18 November 2008]

The crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers can confirm that one of the Most Wanted criminals under Operation Captura 2, Andrew Arthur Alderman, has handed himself into the Consulate General in Madrid earlier this morning.

Alderman, born in Canterbury and wanted by Kent Constabulary, was convicted to 10 years' imprisonment for indecent assault and rape of a girl under the age of 16, between 1 January 1995 and 30 April 2004.

Mick Laurie, Crimestoppers' Chief Executive said: “This is yet another great success for Operation Captura. Within two weeks of launching a dangerous criminal has handed himself in. A huge thank you must go out to the media for their pivotal role in helping to publicise these Most Wanted criminals, due to Alderman's face being so widely circulated, the pressure became all too much and he decided to give himself up.

“But don't forget there are still six Most Wanted criminals on this list, if you have any information on them please call the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or 900 555 111 if calling from Spain and help us track down more of these criminals.”

Denise Holt CMG, UK Ambassador to Spain, said "This is excellent news. Once again, I would like to thank the Spanish authorities for their support and efforts, in particular those of the Ministry of Interior. This is another good example of the close cooperation between our two countries. I would also like to thank the media for the great publicity they're giving to the campaign and everyone contributing to the arrests of these criminals."

Operation Captura identifies serious criminals wanted by UK law enforcement agencies for crimes committed in the UK. Crimestoppers and SOCA work closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff in Madrid, British and Spanish law enforcement agencies. The campaign highlights appeals for information on criminals who have European arrest warrants issued against them for crimes such as drug trafficking, murder and currency counterfeiting. Information given to Crimestoppers can help locate these criminals so that arrests can be carried out by the Spanish police.

For more information, visit www.crimestoppers.es

-Ends-

For more information contact Hannah Daws, Head of Communications, Crimestoppers on 020 8254 3230/07900 694904 or hannah.daws@crimestoppers-uk.org or Lisa Gains, Media Officer, 020 8254 3226 / 07795 564313 or lisa.gains@crimestoppers-uk.org .

Notes to editors

• Crimestoppers
  Crimestoppers is an independent charity dedicated to solving crimes and taking criminals off the streets. Around 17 people are arrested and charged every day as a result of information given to Crimestoppers. One person every five days is charged with murder.
• Since Crimestoppers began in 1988, it has received over a million actionable calls, resulting in over 87,000 arrests and charges. Over £103 million worth of property has been recovered and nearly £160 million worth of drugs.
• Crimestoppers UK was founded by Lord Ashcroft, KCMG, Chairman of Trustees. In 1988, he launched Crimestoppers in the Metropolitan Police area. Crimestoppers is built on a three-way partnership between the business community, the police and the media. Charity number: 1108687