Fugitive Brit sex offender, 37, on UK’s most wanted list is arrested in Spain after ‘hiding out in Benidorm’

A FUGITIVE British sex offender who was on the UK’s most wanted list has been arrested in Spain. John Rocks, 37, was taken into custody in Madrid after a failed manhunt in Benidorm. A British fugitive was arrested by plain-clothed officers in Madrid Credit: Solarpix Spanish authorities detained John Rocks who is on the UK’s most wanted list Credit: Solarpix The Scottish criminal had been hiding out on the Costa Blanca to avoid arrest for several sex offences committed between 2012 and 2022. Rocks was recently placed on the National Crime Agency’s Most Wanted list, with police publishing his photo alongside caption: “Do you know where John Rocks is?” Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Footage of the arrest released by Spanish authorities showed two plain-clothed officers escorting Rocks to police patrol car after pouncing on him in a busy street on August 1. He is now languishing behind bars in the Spanish capital after going before an extradition judge. The 37-year-old was shown into the back of a police patrol car Credit: Solarpix Rocks is wanted over several alleged sex offences committed between 2012 and 2022 Credit: Solarpix It remains unclear whether Rocks will be allowed to return to the UK, where he is wanted by Police Scotland. Referring to him only by his initials, Spain‘s national police said: “National Police officers have arrested J.R., 37, in Madrid, who was wanted by the British authorities for several sexual assault offences. “The detainee had fled justice in his home country and was the subject of an active International Arrest Warrant issued by the British authorities. “He appeared in the campaign ‘The UK’s Most Wanted Fugitives,’ launched by the organisation CrimeStoppers.” Most read in The Sun “The alleged perpetrator, a British national, was believed to be hiding in Spain,” they continued. “The acts investigated by British officers involved serious sexual assaults against various victims, some of whom were in a romantic relationship with the suspect at the time of the incidents. “The efforts to locate the target included several trips to Benidorm, as well as numerous surveillance operations and on-site checks at places he was known to frequent. “These actions made it possible to establish behaviour patterns, obtain clues about his possible whereabouts, and identify third parties who might have been helping him. “The investigation proved especially complex due to the concealment measures adopted by the wanted man.” Speaking about the arrest, the police said: “During the operation, officers finally located the target, who was wearing a cap and glasses to partially conceal his face, and he was arrested. “The detainee did not cooperate during the identification process, was not carrying any identification documents, and provided different personal details. “However, an initial comparison of his visible tattoos made it possible to determine that he was the wanted individual. His identity was later confirmed through fingerprint analysis. “The arrested man was brought before the Investigating Section of the Central Court of First Instance, Courtroom 3 in Madrid, pending a decision on his extradition.” Rocks was one of two Scots named on a list of the UK’s most wanted fugitives. The other was Derek McGraw Ferguson, 62, who is wanted in connection with the murder of Thomas Cameron in a Glasgow pub car park in 2007. Spanish cops described Ferguson as “dangerous” and warned he could be armed. Hours after Rocks was named as one of the UK’s most wanted fugitives, another man on the list was held in La Nucia just north of Benidorm. Convicted drug smuggler Simon Dutton, 49, from Bolton, Greater Manchester, arrested in a bar in Greece in December 2015, was wanted for a re-call to prison. Rick Jones, NCA Deputy Director International, said of Rocks’ arrest: “This arrest marks the 101st arrest in Operation Captura, a multi-agency campaign aimed at tracking down the UK’s most wanted individuals in Spain. “I pay tribute to the excellent work of our colleagues in the Spanish National Police who made this possible. Working with them, and other law enforcement partners, we are determined to do all we can to ensure fugitives are returned to face the courts.”