A MAN who was held in Tenerife after being the subject of a European Arrest Warrant has been jailed for eight years for the historic sexual abuse of children.

Philip Gordon Knowles, 54, has been convicted of committing the crimes between 1970 and 1980 while living in St Helens.

He had since moved to the Oasis del Sur area of Tenerife where he was arrested.

A European Arrest Warrant had been issued in April 2014. He was taken to Madrid where officers from Merseyside Police's Matrix Serious Organised Crime specialist Unity team brought him back to the UK.

He was subsequently charged with a number of historic sex offences and found guilty at Liverpool Crown Court of four counts of gross indecency with a boy under 14 and eight counts of indecent assault on a girl under 16.

Along with his jail sentence Knowles was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for life and is disqualified from working with children under 16.

Detective Inspector Bev Hyland said: "Knowles is starting a long prison sentence after a jury found him guilty of a number of offences carried out over a ten year period between 1970 and 1980 whilst he was living in the St Helens area.

"His victims have shown an immense amount of bravery in coming forward and having to re-live the abuse they suffered at Knowles' hands. I hope his sentencing gives them some sense of closure and also provides wider reassurance that a dangerous and determined sex offender is now behind bars.

"I would like to reassure anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse that any complaint will be taken extremely seriously and investigated by specially trained officers who will offer support every step of the way.

"I'd also like to thank officers and our partners in the Crown Prosecution Service for their dedication and commitment throughout what has been a long and complex investigation."