MP for Chatham Tracey Crouch is writing to the Home Secretary to ask how US 'most wanted' Sean Lopes ended up living and working here.

Lopes, 47, who was living in Victoria Road, Chatham, had been on the run for almost nine years. He was wanted for the attempted murder and kidnap of a 22-year-old woman in New York.

He was jailed for 15 years in his absence for the offences and has been on the run since November 2004.

Officers finally caught up with him in New Road, Chatham, last Monday after obtaining an extradition warrant from Westminster magistrates when they received a tip-off from someone who raised concerns.

In 2006, Lopes was labelled by the New York Police Department as in the top 10 of the city’s most wanted fugitives. Last year the US authorities said they believed Lopes was hiding in Trinidad and Tobago.

It was after a court heard Lopes became obsessed with his ex-girlfriend, Amanda Hopkins, when she dumped him.

Prosecutors claimed Lopes sneaked into Hopkins’ apartment in June 2004 and when she came home, he threatened to kill her and then commit suicide.

Police stormed the apartment and found Lopes holding a butcher’s knife to Hopkins’ throat.
He later went missing while on bail.

Police in Kent worked with the Metropolitan police and the authorities in New York to track Lopes down, who had been working at Sainsbury’s in Gravesend.

Miss Crouch has said she is going to write to the Home Secretary, Theresa May and ask how Lopes entered the country and was able to work here.

She said: "I will writing to Theresa May and asking her precisely how and where this man got into the country.

"He's been here since 2010 and I will be asking how he was allowed to work here and will also be asking ask how many other criminals from other countries do we have working here.

"I will also be asking her to apologise to the US authorities over the failure of the UK immigration policy that allows one of America's most wanted criminals to enter, work and live in this country.

Lopes has been remanded until a court appearance tomorrow (Tuesday).