National Police officers have arrested a 37-year-old British fugitive in Madrid who was wanted for several sexual assault offences committed between 2012 and 2022. While the final arrest took place on a central street in the capital, a significant portion of the investigation was conducted in Benidorm, where agents initially located the suspect and launched a large operation to find him.
The detainee, identified as John Rocks, featured in the United Kingdom’s Most Wanted Fugitives campaign launched last May in Alicante, promoted by the National Crime Agency and the CrimeStoppers organisation. An international arrest warrant for extradition purposes had been issued by the United Kingdom against him.
The investigation began in 2024 when British authorities alerted authorities that the suspected perpetrator of several sexual assaults might have taken refuge in Spain. Initial inquiries by the Family and Women’s Assistance Unit of the National Police placed him in Benidorm, where efforts to locate him remained focused for months.
Investigators made numerous trips to the city of Alicante, conducting surveillance and checks at locations frequented by the fugitive. These efforts enabled them to reconstruct his movements, detect patterns of behaviour, and identify individuals who might have been helping him stay hidden. According to the National Police, the investigation proved particularly complex due to the concealment measures adopted by the wanted man, who led a nomadic life and tried to hide his true identity.
In February of this year, the United Kingdom issued the international arrest warrant, and the Spanish Ministry of the Interior subsequently joined in disseminating his image within the most wanted fugitives campaign, intensifying the pressure to secure his capture.
The investigation eventually led to Madrid. On August 1st, after gathering evidence that the suspect was in the capital, the police established a surveillance operation that culminated in his arrest on a central street. At the time of his arrest, he wore a cap and glasses to partially conceal his face, carried no identification, and attempted to obstruct identification by providing false information. His tattoos and subsequent fingerprint analysis definitively confirmed his identity.
The arrested man has been placed at the disposal of the Central Court of First Instance of Madrid, which will decide on his extradition to the British authorities to answer the charges against him.
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