The Liberal Democrats have revealed a list of ten of Britain’s most-wanted criminals who have been arrested or sentenced since the beginning of this year thanks to the European Arrest Warrant.

This follows David Davis this morning confirming that the UK won’t have access to the European Arrest Warrant unless the Government strikes a parallel deal on trade and security.

Recent uses of the European Arrest Warrant include a suspected gang boss from Solihull arrested in Lithuania yesterday, a man arrested in Belgium in connection with the murder of a man in West Bromwich and one of Britain’s most-wanted suspected paedophiles who was arrested after fleeing to France.

Since 2009, the European Arrest Warrant has been used to bring 800 British fugitives back to face justice in the UK. These include 41 wanted for murder, 61 for rape and three for terrorism.

Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary Brian Paddick used a question in the House of Lords today to press the Government over its threat to withhold security cooperation with the EU unless it gets the trade deal it wants.

Brian Paddick, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary and former Deputy Assistant Commissioner in the Metropolitan Police, commented:

“Theresa May’s threat that the UK could withhold security cooperation with the EU was both reckless and insensitive.

“I’ve seen first-hand how European cooperation in the fight against crime and terrorism helps keep Britain safe.

“We need tools like the European Arrest Warrant to help ensure Britain’s most-wanted criminals are brought back to face justice.

“Theresa May as a former Home Secretary should know this better than anyone else.

“The UK’s ability to keep its people safe cannot be negotiated away in exchange for a better trade deal.”

Ten of Britain’s most-wanted criminals have been arrested or sentenced since the beginning of this year thanks to the European Arrest Warrant:

• A 24-year-old man was brought back to Kent from Italy following a rape investigation after Kent Police secured a European arrest warrant
• A 32-year-old man who had been convicted for wounding with intent and escaped from HMP Sudbury more than four years ago was arrested in the Netherlands using a European Arrest Warrant and brought back to the UK
• A British drugs kingpin convicted of running £31 million cocaine smuggling racket was jailed for 18 years after having been arrested using a European Arrest Warrant at his luxury Spanish villa in Spain
• A British fugitive living under a false identity on the Costa del Sol and accused of shooting dead an Irish dad-of-two was caught after a European arrest warrant was issued, and now faces being jailed for more than 40 years
• A British fugitive from Aylesbury described as “very dangerous” by police was captured in Benidorm through a European Arrest Warrant. He is wanted by the British authorities for “crimes of robbery with violence and intimidation” carrying a “maximum punishment of three life sentences.”
• A man suspected of trafficking women for sexual exploitation and running brothels in Kent was arrested while trying to cross the border between Poland and Germany after a European Arrest Warrant was issued
• A sex offender from Chelmsford who fled the UK during his trial was sentenced to eight years after he was caught under a European Arrest Warrant in Kosovo
• One of the UK’s most-wanted suspected paedophiles, Stephen Carruthers, was arrested in France in using a European Arrest Warrant after being on the run for three years
• A 24-year-old man was detained using a European Arrest Warrant in Belgium in connection with the murder of Carl Campbell, who was shot dead in West Bromwich High Street on December 27
• A sex offender who dodged his initial trial was jailed for more than a decade at Oxford Crown Court after being arrested in Ireland