DETECTIVES have instigated an international hunt for a man who vanished from a court while a jury was deliberating over a charge of child rape he was facing.

In his absence, Andrew Arthur Alderman, from Maidstone, was found guilty of rape, indecent assault and sexual activity with a teenage girl. She was 15 when she raped.

The judge at Maidstone Crown Court sentenced him in his absence and issued a warrant for his arrest. That was on August 31 last year.

Police later discovered CCTV images of Alderman him at the Eurotunnel terminal at Longport, Folkestone, at 5.30am on the day of the verdict. It is thought he has fled abroad.

After months of searching, police have now decided to make a media appeal for help. And the mother of Alderman’s traumatised victim has appealed for help to put him behind bars.

The woman, who is 40 and from Maidstone, said: “It’s still not finished. He’s not being punished for his crimes.

“He has done this horrific, horrible thing to my daughter and we are trying to get on with our lives, but we can’t because he’s not where he should be, which is in prison.”

“Every mother feels guilty if their child gets hurt. My little girl was being abused and I didn’t know and I couldn’t stop it.”

She added: “He’s been on the run for eight months and we are both having counselling. He needs to be found. Not just for us, but for the safety of every girl in the world."

Det Insp Dave Berry, of Kent police, said: “We’ve got a rapist of a young girl who has absconded, left the country. Clearly, he would pose a risk to other young girls. “He has done it once and could do it again.

“Kent Police European Liaison unit has been working closely with Interpol since he absconded.

“We are pursuing him but there have been no leads and no sightings and that’s why we are appealing to anyone who has information to get in touch.”

Alderman, previously the director of an office furniture installation firm, is known to have contacts all over the world, particularly in Spain and the United Arab Emirates.

He is fluent in Spanish and can also speak some French, German and Arabic. On the day he went missing, he was driving a silver VW Passat, registration number GL53 VBU.

Anyone with information about Alderman, or who knows the whereabouts of his vehicle, is asked to contact the child protection team on 01622 604180 or CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111.

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