A FUGITIVE horse riding instructor who fled from Britain after abusing children in his care has been arrested in Cambodia.

Damien Midgley has been tracked down in south-east Asia by North Yorkshire Police, 18 months after being convicted in his absence and sentenced to six years' jail for attacking youngsters.

Having been released on bail following his arrest, Midgley travelled to Thailand after he was charged with 11 offences of abusing four children under 13. Some of them had been on their first riding lesson with him.

A jury at York Crown Court in 2014 heard some of the abuse occurred when Midgley took children for riding lessons in a wood near the North Yorkshire riding school where he worked.

The 39-year-old, formerly of Aberford, near Leeds, remains in custody in Cambodia and arrangements are being made by North Yorkshire Police, the National Crime Agency and the Cambodian authorities to have him deported to the UK.

Detective Inspector Jane Guymer of North Yorkshire Police said: “Our officers have worked tirelessly to bring convicted paedophile Damien Midgley to justice.

“Midgley clearly thought that by fleeing the UK he would be somehow immune to the sentence that the courts handed him in his absence.

“However, this case proves that international barriers are no obstacle when it comes to ensuring vile and cowardly child sex offenders are held to account for their actions.”