Fugitive former abbot wanted over abuse allegations arrested in Kosovo

Fr Laurence Soper was arrested in 2010 but disappeared after failing to answer bail

A former abbot of Ealing Abbey wanted over child sex abuse allegations has been arrested in Kosovo, according to local police sources.

Fr Laurence Soper was arrested in 2010 over alleged sex offences at St Benedict’s School in Ealing where he taught in the 1970s and 1980s.
He was bailed but failed to report to return to a London police station in March 2011. He was thought to be living in a monastery in Rome when a European Arrest Warrant was subsequently issued for him.
Police in Kosovo confirmed Fr Soper was arrested in the city of Pec on Thursday and the extradition process to return him to the UK is now underway, the BBC reports.
According to reports in Kosovo, Fr Soper had been living in Pec for several years, going by the name Andrew, and had told neighbours he was writing a book.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “The Metropolitan Police is aware of an arrest and is currently in liaison with the relevant authorities.”