Pedo caught 27 years after Crimewatch appeal

dublincc2

Just saw this remarkable story, a nonce in England was arrested after 27 years on the run, he was caught when he got off a flight at Heathrow from Thailand:

https://news.sky.com/story/wanted-man-richard-burrows-80-arrested-at-heathrow-after-27-years-on-the-run-13106476

The funny thing is I actually remember this appeal when it first aired in February 1998, particularly because it mentioned him being on the internet, which of course was in its infancy back then. That was the moment it dawned on me that the internet had a darker side.

Here’s the appeal at 32:28

https://youtu.be/1BWYrEGQ5IE

Strumms

great that he’s been caught, but a thundering arrogant gobshîte having got to 80 and instead of keeping his head down, he’s going to airports, showing passport, going through security, iris scanners etc on the way to and way back from somewhere like Thailand. a lone British male in his 80’s with presumably no connections to the place… not suss at all, won’t arouse suspicion. Doubt he be so thick just arrogance / creepy determination to get his way.

Imagine getting to 80, sitting in a cell tonight and knowing that unless you catch a serious serious break, a one in a million break, that you’ll die in a jail cell. Good enough for the …..

Oscar_Madison

doesn’t say why he returned -it’s possible that he was tracked down and instead of languishing for years in a Thai cell, awaiting extradition decided to voluntarily return?

hoodie6029

Makes me think of George Gibney. His crimes were before my time and only heard of them through the ‘Where is George Gibney?’ podcast. That crafty c@&€ wouldn’t be foolish enough to return here.

Agent Coulson

He could be dying and decidied a few years in a UK prison hospital would be better than dying in Thailand

beachhead

NCA liaison officer in Thailand persuaded the paedo to return home is how I read it.

Either one of his ex pat buds turned him in or he realised being 80 is enough.

Dick phelan

Horrible to know what he probably did in Thailand. A beautiful country but so many dodgy foreigners there.

beachhead

You can add Cambodia,Philippines and Vietnam to the dodgy list and not all paedos in those countries.Just 3 to mention in Sth East Asia

ToweringPerformance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121972547#Comment_121972547

What happens in Cambodia in particular today is akin to the Thailand of 30 years ago. Anyway hopefully this guy suffers a slow painful death for his sins.

Oscar_Madison

I’ve come across a handyman and a taxi driver in the past who both mentioned that they live for 3months in Thailand every winter and spend their summers then back in Ireland. They claimed it was cheaper to live there and obviously better weather

I guess I couldn’t help think that there might be other reasons why they chose that country - am I wrong to think that way? Do many Irish live in these countries for months on end every year?

keeponhurling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121973417#Comment_121973417

Thailand is a beautiful place, nicer weather and cheaper than Ireland. It's a major destination for tourists.

It's a very cynical world if we suspect everyone who goes there of being a paedo.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121973880#Comment_121973880

tourists yes- but long term annual stays was my query.
Theres a fine line between cynical and naive I guess - you hear of “golf trips” to these places too - I personally don’t know anyone who went on a “golf trip” there but I’ve heard friends who know of people in their club who have and they’re quite disparaging about them - you see reports in the papers also about such trips every few years so my cynicism is not totally devoid of facts to support it .

keeponhurling

To use a Father Ted quote: "Say if 200 million people have visited Thailand, and 5% are paedos. That's still only 10 million paedos."

eightieschewbaccy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121973417#Comment_121973417

I do know people who do similar in the likes of Nepal. Their reason is access to hiking locations and they have high salaries. So I'd hope those people in Thailand aren't there for such nefarious reasons... But people are fucked.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121974244#Comment_121974244

I’d like to think the numbers who do are incredibly small - but considering these countries have such established and notorious sex industries that survive on foreign “investment” , logic dictates that at least a certain % of travellers from all countries partake - that’s a fact - what % who knows.

Roald Dahl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121973417#Comment_121973417

I've heard of flights from Germany to Thailand being humorously called Bumsbomber; something like a "bangbus" but with wings, bringing lots of - as the stereotype would have it - unaccompanied, paunched and balding middle-aged men to their destination. I don't think there is necessarily an underage element to this, though.

I also have heard of a couple of individuals here in Ireland who visit Thailand on their own for a couple of weeks each year. Who can tell what their itineraries include.

Gusser09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121972547#Comment_121972547

All sheltered by the authorities and some locals in those countries who actively encourage child sex tourism.

silliussoddius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121974457#Comment_121974457

Yeah, they're not necessarily pedos. Just after wimmin.

denismc

I spent a season fruit picking in Northern Australia many years ago, many of the people working there were middle aged European men who would come over from Thailand to make some money and return to Thailand at the end of the season.

I remember the Australian immigration carrying out a raid one day, many of the men ran for cover to avoid getting lifted.

I often wondered how many of those men ran because they had something to hide other than not having work permits.

tabby aspreme

I remember being on a flight to Frankfurt about 10 years ago and was surprised that there were about 40 lads on board, flying onwards to Thailand for a golf trip, who would want to play golf in 35 degrees and 90% humidity, a very excited slimy shower of gob#sh#ts they were too, I mentioned it to my BIL who lived in Frankfurt and travelled to Thailand a few times a year with work, and he said the flights were always full of similar, what surprised me most was the amount of lads in there 20's in the group.