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Hunt for ten most wanted Brit fugitives hiding out in Spain

Fiona Govan
Fiona Govan - [email protected]
Hunt for ten most wanted Brit fugitives hiding out in Spain
Call Crimestoppers if you recognize these faces.

Authorities are calling on the public to help track down ten of the most wanted British criminals thought to be hiding out in Spain.

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Among those on the latest list are several alleged murderers, two suspected paedophiles and a man who posed as a James Bond style spy to defraud his girlfriend of almost €1 million.

The faces of ten fugitives have been made public in the latest appeal by Operation Captura, a collaboration between British and Spanish authorities and led by Crimestoppers to round up British fugitives.

GALLERY: Ten most wanted British fugitives in Spain

The list was unveiled by British and Spanish authorities at a joint press conference in Malaga on Thursday with a plea to the public to come forward if they recognized any of the fugitives.

The "most wanted" gallery includes Jamie Acourt, 40, from south-east London, who is wanted for his alleged role as part of a cannabis-dealing gang between January 2014 and February 2016.

Another suspect on the list is Shane O'Brien, 28, accused of murdering 21-year-old Josh Hanson in an unprovoked knife attack in a bar in Hillingdon, west London in October 2015.

Suspected fraudster Mark Acklom, 43, from London, allegedly posed as a wealthy Swiss banker and an MI6 agent promised to marry a woman in Bath and then fleeced her of £850,000 for renovations to their future marital home, claiming to have a cashflow problem. He then did a runner.

Investigators are also hunting convicted fraudster Sarah Panitzke, 42, from Fulford, North Yorkshire, who laundered £1 billion as part of a massive tax scam but skipped bail and fled. She is due to serve an eight-year jail term for conspiracy to acquire criminal property.

Police also want to track down Jonathan Kelly, 36, from Glasgow, who is wanted for a string of violent crimes including a machete attack that left his victim paralysed; and alleged drugs kingpin Dominic McInally, 25, from Liverpool, who is accused of leading a cocaine-dealing gang that made £1.25 million per month.

Chairman of Crimestoppers Lord Ashcroft said: "These people have managed to evade arrest and avoid justice. We know that with the help of Spanish authorities, along with the public in Spain and the UK, we can find these people."

Steve Reynolds, Head of International Operations for the National Crime Agency, said: "The fugitives we are hunting are wanted for serious crimes and must be returned to the UK to face justice. We need the support of the public to help us catch them. Be our eyes and ears and tell us if you have any information on the whereabouts of our targets."

In the ten years since Operation Captura was launched in Spain, 76 fugitives have been apprehended of the 86 to appear to lists.

"The exceptional level of collaboration and intelligence sharing we have with the Spanish authorities has been vital to these arrests," Reynolds said.

"The success of Captura demonstrates our relentless pursuit of fugitives. We never give up. Many of them use Spain as a base to continue illegal activities which still have an impact on the UK, but it is not a safe haven."

Do you recognize any of the fugitives? 

Click through to the gallery of the most wanted fugitives in Spain.

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