A CONVICTED paedophile on the run from Worcestershire has been found and arrested in Ireland after seven years in hiding.

John Murrell, 39, formerly of Friday's Acre in Droitwich, disappeared in September 2000 following his release from prison after serving half of his two year sentence for sexually assaulting a child.

He was found with his wife Catherine and their three children at a location in County Kildare in the Republic of Ireland on Friday.

The Garda Siochana, Ireland's national police service, arrested Murrell under a European arrest warrant and he is now in custody awaiting extradition to the UK to appear before the courts in Worcester.

A spokesperson for West Mercia Police said: "We had some reported sightings of Murrell. He was found through good old fashioned police work and help from the public."

West Mercia police have been searching for Murrell since he failed to report to the probation hostel he was assigned to on his release from prison. He was therefore not complying with the notification requirements of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Detective Chief Inspector Alan Edwards, who has led the search in recent months, said: "West Mercia Constabulary is committed to ensuring those people required to register their whereabouts following convictions for sexual offences comply with the requirements under the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

"A significant amount of effort has gone into locating Murrell including using Crimewatch and liasing with other law enforcement agencies across the world."

In September 1999, Murrell was found guilty at Worcester Crown Court of three counts of indecent assault and one of indecency with a nine-year-old girl. He was jailed for two years and was told he would have to sign on the sex offender's register and would only be able to see his children under supervision.

Yet within weeks of his early release from prison he had returned to his wife and children and the whole family had disappeared.

In October 2004 the Worcester News revealed how Murrell met Catherine when she was 14 years old and he was 24. Despite the family's best efforts to stop them, they married when Catherine was 18 and went on to have three children together.