Fugitive rapist loses bail plea

Trevor Masters: Skipped bail

A fugitive rapist has lost the first round of his fight against being extradited from France to the UK, where he faces a 12-year jail sentence.

Trevor Masters, 48, has been refused bail by magistrates in Pau, south-west France.

Masters, a farm worker, has been on the run since last August after jumping bail at his trial for rape.

At Cardiff Crown Court, he was convicted in his absence on nine charges - including rape and sexual assault - and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

He has been returned to prison but his lawyer, Claude Garcia, said he would try again for bail in a few days time.

There are now six days left for extradition papers to be served.

Cyber cafe

An extradition hearing is expected sometime in August or September.

Masters was re-arrested at a cyber cafe in Pau a month ago after several reported sightings in Europe,

The search for Masters involved police officers from Gwent, France and Interpol.

A huge hunt was launched after several reported sightings of the fugitive from British tourists on the Costa Del Sol in Spain and at locations across France.

The trail went cold for a while but cashpoint withdrawals and other information led Interpol to the south-west of France and Masters was detained in the town of Pau.

Gwent Police say it could take up to 18 months for him to be extradited to the UK.