A dog walker who evaded justice for almost a decade by going into hiding has been jailed for sexually abusing a teenage girl. 

Michael McCarthy, of Longfield Avenue in Walthamstow, set up a new life in Waltham Forest after he was challenged by police for assaulting a vulnerable 13-year-old in Bracklesham Bay in West Sussex in November 2005. 

The 59-year-old father was tracked down at his Walthamstow address following a Crimewatch appeal on March 19. 

Immediately following the appeal, police received dozens of phone calls from members of the public who knew McCarthy as a pub DJ and professional dog walker. 

But prior to his arrest, he managed to conceal his identity for nine years by only taking cash-in-hand jobs and not claiming any benefits. 

They raided his home where he was arrested and later charged with two counts of sexual activity with a child. 

For more on this story see this week's Waltham Forest Guardian and Chingford Guardian, on sale on Thursday.