Convicted killer on 'most wanted' list arrested in the Canary Islands

Shane Walford had featured on the National Crime Agency most wanted list only five days previously

Shane Walford was jailed in in 2010 for the manslaughter of an off-duty fireman (PA)

A convicted killer on the run after breaching his probation has been arrested in the Canary Islands by Spanish police.

Shane Walford was found just five days after his name was included in a list of Britain’s 10 most wanted fugitives released five days ago by the National Crime Agency (NCA).

The 38-year-old was jailed in in 2010 for the manslaughter of an off-duty fireman whilst he was on leave from the Army.

Ex-soldier and former boxer Walford killed Paul Gibbins, a father-of-two, with a single punch outside a bar in Coventry.

He had been sentenced to four-and-a-half years, but was recalled to prison by West Midlands Police in 2013 for breaking the terms of his licence.

He was tracked down to the Canary Islands by Spanish Police on Saturday morning.

The NCA released the most wanted list as part of Operation Captura, which targets wanted suspects who are thought to have fled to Spain.

A spokesman for the NCA said: “Shane Walford was arrested by Spanish national police yesterday morning in the Canary Islands.”

The nine remaining are wanted in connection with crimes including rape, indecent assault of a child and drug traffic king.

Another of the fugitives is Mohammed Jahangir Alam, 32, who was sentenced to 14 years in his absence in 2010 for rape and sexual assault by penetration.

Also on the wanted list is 52-year-old Carlo Dawson who is accused of indecently assaulting a 12-year-old girl and making indecent photographs of a child.

An operation was launched last week to arrest one of the fugitives, suspected drugs trafficker Jayson McDonald, who is believed to have been living in Spain.

Over a dozen armed officials alongside detectives from the Metropolitan Police carried out a dawn raid on a luxury villa in the town Coin, near Malaga but McDonald was not found.

Spain’s Costa del Sol, once dubbed “Costa del Crime”, has been known as a hideaway for British criminals in the past, particularly in the late 1970s and 80s when there were no extradition agreements with the UK.

This is the ninth appeal of its kind since Captura was launched by the NCA and Crimestoppers in 2006 and so far 65 out of 76 suspects named have been caught.

Hank Cole, the NCA’s head of international operations, said: “Spain is not a safe haven for British fugitives. The NCA and its partners will continue to pursue these individuals relentlessly and return them to the UK to face justice.

“The exceptional level of collaboration and intelligence sharing with the Spanish authorities has been vital to these arrests. However, we still need the support of the public.”

“Be our eyes and ears and tell us if you have any information on the whereabouts of our targets.”

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the fugitives is asked to call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or go online to www.crimestopper-uk.org.