US rape suspect to be extradited

Mr Freeman, centre, has been imprisoned in Hong Kong since May

One of America's most wanted suspected sex offenders has agreed to be extradited from Hong Kong to the US.

Kenneth Freeman, 45, had been resisting the move since his arrest in May. The process could take three to six weeks.

He is accused of raping his daughter and posting a video of the attack on the internet, but denies all charges.

Lawyer Giles Surman told a Hong Kong court that "after due consideration" Mr Freeman had decided to "consent to surrender and be sent to the US".

"I believe it's in my best interests," said Mr Freeman.

Final approval of the extradition order must be given by Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang.

Charges

Mr Freeman, described as a keen bodybuilder and computer expert, fled the US in 2006, months after his daughter made allegations that he had assaulted her four years earlier.

She appeared on the TV show America's Most Wanted to talk about the case.

US officials had to wait until Mr Freeman left China to arrest him

Tips to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children after the programme helped identify the girl as the victim in a series of child pornography videos, according to the US Marshals Service.

The footage was among the most widely downloaded child pornography videos in recent years, officials said.

Mr Freeman had been charged with child rape in Washington state and faced US federal charges of producing child pornography videos before he fled the country.

A world-wide manhunt tracked Mr Freeman to China, where he is thought to have been working for a US-based company.

Because the US does not have an extradition agreement with Beijing, investigators had to wait until Mr Freeman left for a trip to Hong Kong, where such an agreement does exist, to arrest him.