A SEX offender who was found with more than 60,000 indecent images of children fled the country before he could be sentenced.

William Dempster, who lived in Lanarkshire, was convicted of the offences in May 2014, and failed to appear at court for the sentencing hearing.

Enquiries revealed that the 46-year-old had travelled to Bangkok in Thailand via Heathrow Airport.

Today, he was sent to prison for 18 months when he appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court, after being extradited back from Asia in September.

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Officers from Police Scotland’s extradition unit carried out extensive enquiries, which established his whereabouts, and the fugitive was arrested in the coastal city of Pattaya as a result of an operation which also involved the National Crime Agency, and Royal Thai Police officers, with the assistance of the Thailand Office of the Attorney General.

Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Livingstone, of Police Scotland said: “Police Scotland officers are committed to relentlessly pursuing criminals who think they are untouchable or above the law and Dempster thought he could evade justice by fleeing the country.

"Our officers worked tirelessly in partnership with our law enforcement colleagues and did not give up on arresting him and bringing him back to Scotland to face the consequences of his crimes.

“I am grateful and pleased to acknowledge the assistance from colleagues in this country and abroad in locating and arresting Dempster which has culminated in this positive and satisfying conclusion today.”

Dempster was placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.