Paedophile wanted in US jailed for sexually assaulting girl in Lancashire
A "dangerous sexual deviant" wanted by the FBI has been jailed for sexually assaulting a teenage girl in a Lancashire park.
Polish national Gerard Zalewski, 33, failed to appear at a sentencing hearing in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in March 2006 after he had previously admitted "involuntary deviate sexual intercourse" with a 13-year-old girl in June 2004.
In his absence, he was ordered to serve five to 20 years in a state correctional institution as a local arrest warrant was issued.
The federal authorities in Philadelphia later issued another arrest warrant and a wanted poster for Zalewski.
More than 10 years later, he surfaced in Bamber Bridge, near Preston, in June after he groomed his latest victim, also aged 13, over the internet and persuaded her to send indecent images of herself before arranging to meet her in a park.
Zalewski went on to subject the girl to several hours of sexual abuse as he taped her mouth with masking tape and put a dog collar around her neck, Lancashire Police said.
The defendant, who was living in Dartford, Kent, at the time, later fled and was arrested in Kent on June 21 after a manhunt.
He pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to two counts of penetrative sexual activity with a child; meeting a child following sexual grooming; making indecent photographs of a child and false imprisonment.
He was jailed for 12 years at Preston Crown Court on Tuesday and given an extended indeterminate licence period, police said.
Detective Chief Inspector Vicki Evans, of Lancashire Constabulary's Public Protection Unit, said: "Gerard Zalewski is a dangerous and predatory sexual deviant who posed a significant risk to children across the country.
"He groomed this vulnerable young teenager before arranging to meet her knowing that she was under 16. He then filmed her for his own gratification.
"We welcome the sentence which will mean the public, especially children, particularly those who are vulnerable, are protected from him for the foreseeable future.
"This case highlights the risks and dangers faced by children with online grooming, it is important for parents, carers and guardians to talk to your children about who they communicate with online, who are their friends and how to manage these online relationships."
