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.
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