POLAND: Polish border guards detain a U.S. citizen allegedly sought by Interpol for sexual crimes committed against children in the United States

Record ID: 805422

  • Title: POLAND: Polish border guards detain a U.S. citizen allegedly sought by Interpol for sexual crimes committed against children in the United States
  • Date: 27th August 2010
  • Summary: COMPUTER SCREEN SHOWING U.S .DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE WEBSITE AND THE 10 MOST WANTED SEX OFFENDERS INCLUDING ARRESTED MAN, JOHN EDWARD HAMILTON COMPUTER SCREEN SHOWING U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE WEBSITE AND HAMILTON'S PROFILE PICTURE OF HAMILTON
  • Embargoed: 11th September 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Poland
  • Country: Poland
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
  • Reuters ID: LVA2RWSJEOVLOGCFPCBLG9B30Z52
  • Story Text: Polish border guards have detained a U.S. citizen sought by Interpol for sexual crimes committed against children in the United States, a spokesman for the guards said on Thursday (August 26).
    John Edward Hamilton was travelling by coach under a false name from the Polish city of Krakow to Oslo when the border guards caught him and detained him in a cell located in the municipal headquarters of Gliwice, a town in South West Poland.
    "As a result of our actions, agents found the man's passport in his luggage. While verifying our database, it was found that he is an American citizen being sought by an international arrest warrant issued by Interpol for paedophilia in the United States. He is accused of sexual relations with minors from 10 to 16 years of age," said Wojciech Lechowski, spokesman for the Polish Border Patrol.
    The border guards had been carrying out routine road checks but with the knowledge passed on via Interpol's data sharing operation Infra-Red they were able to check Hamilton's identity with the international policing data base.
    "From reports I received, he was clearly aware that he was about to be caught, he kept meddling with his identity, giving a different surname, explaining he did not have his documents, that he left it somewhere. The agents finally found his passport and were able to arrest him," Lechowski said.
    Hamilton is on a list of 10 most wanted sex offenders published by the U.S. Department of Justice http://www.justice.gov/marshals/investigations/g8/index.html) and now faces a likely extradition to the United States.
    "In accordance with Polish law, he will stand in front of the prosecutors. They will take further steps which will eventually lead to handing him over to the U.S., who issued the warrant," added.
    Hamilton had been living in Europe for some time after fleeing the United States, taking advantage of the Schengen 'open border' regime to travel freely between different countries.
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