Second arrest in days for Operation Captura

25 March 2011

Two more fugitives who appeared on the latest Operation Captura most-wanted list have been arrested.

Patrick Pious Hancox, 68, from Dublin was arrested by the Gardai in County Longford on Tuesday 22 March. He was wanted on suspicion of child sex offences and child abduction and had broken the conditions of a notice precluding him having contact with the victim. When he failed to answer bail an arrest warrant was issued.

Jonathon Lejman, 29, from Stoke on Trent was arrested in Tenerife on Thursday 24 March. He had been living in a beach commune on the island. Lejman was the subject of a European Arrest Warrant for his part in an aggravated burglary in Staffordshire in 2008. Along with an accomplice, he had kicked in the front door of a house in Stoke on Trent while the owners were asleep upstairs. Lejman threatened the occupants in their beds before slashing a kitchen knife across the face of the male occupant, leaving him with a broken cheekbone and a deep wound from ear to mouth.

Operation Captura is a joint SOCA and Crimestoppers initiative to locate wanted individuals who are believed to be living in Spain. Since its launch in October 2006 there have been 60 public appeals for information on known fugitives from UK justice. The arrests this week bring the number successfully apprehended to 43. Hancox and Lejman are the third and fourth arrests from the latest list of ten appeals, which was launched only a month ago in Alicante. The list includes some of the UK's most dangerous individuals, wanted for crimes including drugs trafficking and murder.

Dave Cording, Crimestoppers’ Director of Operations, said:

“It’s interesting to see that the second arrest this week under Operation Captura has been outside of Spain again. Not only is the campaign successful in tracking people down in Spain, it displaces them as well. But as we can see, no matter where these wanted individuals run to, law enforcement will find them. I hope this further reinforces to fugitives that you can run, but can’t hide forever. I would urge the public to look again at the most wanted section of our website to see if they recognise any of the wanted individuals and if you have any information contact us anonymously on 0800 555 111 or at crimestoppers-uk.org.”

SOCA's Ken Gallagher said:

"The power of Operation Captura lies not just in its ability to help track people hiding in Spain, but in putting the spotlight on fugitives wherever they are. This public and media attention makes life on the run increasingly uncomfortable and is resulting in more fugitives being arrested in Spain and other parts of Europe."

See details of other arrests from the Operation Captura most-wanted list.

For more information viisit the Crimestoppers website.