Man who was once on the FBI's most wanted list has been convicted of a child sex offence.

Former FBI Most Wanted Fugitive Convicted of Child Sex Offence in Kettering

A 67-year-old man, James Hemphill, has been convicted of a child sex offence in Kettering. Hemphill, previously of Houghton Conquest, Bedford, was on the FBI's most wanted list for ten years after pleading guilty to a child sex offence in America in 1994.

He fled to Scotland before sentencing in 1994 and evaded the FBI for a decade. In 2004, he was arrested, returned to America, and imprisoned. However, in April 2008, he was deported back to the United Kingdom, where he has resided ever since.

In late 2022, while living in Kettering, Hemphill committed another offence. He contacted a teenage girl, asking if she wanted him to buy her underwear and inquiring about adult toys and sharing a bed.

The girl bravely confided in a family member, and Hemphill's actions were reported to Northamptonshire Police. He was arrested and charged with one count of causing/inciting a girl aged 13-15 to engage in sexual activity and one count of failing to comply with the notification requirements of being on the Sex Offenders' Register.

Following a trial concluding at Northampton Crown Court on Monday, June 18, Hemphill was found guilty on both counts. He will return to the same court in September for sentencing.