A SEX offender living as both a man and a woman has been arrested 130 miles away from where he committed “truly horrendous crimes” in the North-East.

Craig John Hauxwell, 48, was sentenced in his absence to 14 years in prison last November after being convicted for two rapes and seven indecent assaults committed in Newton Aycliffe between 2001 and 2002.

Images of Darlington-born Hauxwell, also known as Lisa Hauxwell, appeared on Crimewatch UK’s Wanted Faces segment, which aired on BBC One on Monday at 9pm.

Dozens of callers contacted a Crimewatch incident room following the broadcast and Hauxwell, who has most recently been living as a man, was arrested in Nottinghamshire on Tuesday night.

Nottinghamshire Police, working on behalf of Durham Police, arrested the 48-year-old in Newark-on-Trent, where he was booked into custody as Craig John Hauxwell.

Detective Inspector Yvonne Dutson, of Durham Police, said: “This a fantastic result and due entirely to the calls we had following the appeal on Crimewatch.

“We understand Hauxwell had been living at the address in Newark for several months, without anyone knowing his true identity.”

Before the televised appeal, the last known address for Hauxwell used by the police was in the Leeds area and he had last been picked up by CCTV cameras at a petrol station in Derbyshire.

However, Hauxwell was immediately transported back to the North-East following his arrest before appearing in Durham Crown Court yesterday afternoon.

During a short hearing, the court heard that Hauxwell had failed to appear when summoned to court in April 2016.

A warrant was then issued for his arrest for being in breach of his bail conditions.

However, despite Durham Police carrying out “exhaustive enquiries” to trace the 48-year-old, he was not found before a jury convicted him in his absence in August for the nine sex offences committed 16 years ago.

Sentencing was delayed until mid-November, when Judge Simon Hickey sentenced Hauxwell to 14 years in prison.

During yesterday’s hearing, Hauxwell appeared with bleached blond hair, tied in a ponytail, and was referred to as a man by his barrister, Simon Perkins.

Hauxwell is due to re-appear in Durham Crown Court before Judge Hickey, who will sentence the Darlington man for breaching bail.