Telford child rapist who fled country faces long jail term
A man who spent more than three years out of the country when police wanted to talk to him has been found guilty of a string of child rape and sex offences in the Telford area.
Matthew Shearan, of no fixed abode, had denied nine charges and stood trial at Shrewsbury Crown Court.
A jury yesterday found the 43-year-old guilty of four charges of sexually assaulting a child, two charges of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and three charges of rape of a child.
Judge Jim Tindal adjourned the case for a pre-sentence report but told Shearan that he was facing a lengthy jail term.
He told him: “You are facing a long period of custody, probably measured in double figures of years.”
He said he needed more information about Shearan before he could pass sentence and granted him conditional bail.
But he told Shearan: “Running away, if it ever was, is no longer the answer.
“If you run away and breach your bail you will be arrested.”
Shearan is expected to find out his fate at Shrewsbury Crown Court on November 10.
During the trial, prosecutor Richard Orme told the court the offences happened in the Telford area.
Mr Orme said a member of the staff at the victim’s school was concerned about her, adding she was not taking care of herself.
It was on that occasion that the alleged abuse was disclosed to the member of staff, prompting social services and the police to be informed.
Mr Orme added that when the investigation began, the defendant had left the country.
He was in contact with his mother, and told her he was not going to return, and that he couldn’t think why the police wanted to speak to him.
A wanted marker was put on him by police, alerting the UK border agency when he attempted to return to the country.
He returned to the UK on December 10, 2016 from Portugal, and was arrested by Essex Police and held in custody at Stansted Airport, before being handed over to West Mercia Police.
In interview he denied all the alleged offences.
He told police he was not aware they were trying to contact him, which Mr Orme described to the court as “nonsense.”
Shearan said in his interview he had taken a ferry from Plymouth to France in May 2013, and hitch hiked and relied on help from passers by to fund him.
Mr Orme explained that Shearan was in regular contact with his parents for the three-and-a-half years that he was out of the country.
