GAVIN RHODES, LEEDS MAN, ON THE RUN IN IRELAND AFTER CHILD SEX OFFENCES

In August 2018, Gavin Rhodes, a 38-year-old originally from the Briggate area in Leeds, became the subject of a manhunt in Ireland after committing a series of disturbing offences involving minors. Rhodes, who moved to Ireland in 2016 following his release from an English correctional facility for showing explicit images to schoolgirls on a train, is now believed to be hiding in the Cork area. He had previously been caught with approximately 7,000 indecent images of children on his computer and had sent nude photographs to a 13-year-old girl.

Rhodes had lived in Kerry, working at several cafes while posing as a South African. However, after locals confronted him about his criminal past, he was forced to flee Kerry this week. Gardaí are investigating the possibility that he may be concealed in County Cork. A source close to the investigation explained, “Rhodes had been living under the radar for the last two years and was determined to keep his past a secret. But someone who met him did some research and quickly recognized him as the same individual convicted in the UK. He’s a coward who preyed on innocent children and didn’t like being confronted, which is why he decided to run.”

Under his release conditions, Rhodes is required to notify Gardaí of his current address. His criminal history includes an arrest on August 30, 2013, when he was caught showing graphic images to children. Following a police investigation, his phone revealed that he had also sent sexually explicit images to a 13-year-old girl and had contacted children aged 12 to 16 through online chat rooms using false names. Rhodes admitted to downloading the material and exchanging indecent images with a minor.

He received a prison sentence of four years for causing a child to engage in sexual activity, which was to run consecutively with six months for 21 offences related to making indecent photographs of children, and an additional two years for three counts of sexual activity in the presence of a child—all to be served concurrently with the other sentences.

In July 2014, Rhodes also gained notoriety for showing indecent footage to three 12-year-old girls on a train to Leeds, which led to nearly five years of imprisonment. British Transport Police revealed that officers found more than 7,000 indecent images across his laptops and hard drives and linked him to online chats with minors involving explicit content. Rhodes, then 34, from Briggate, Shipley, admitted to downloading the images and communicating with girls between 12 and 16 years old.

At Leeds Crown Court, Rhodes pleaded guilty to multiple charges and was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison, including four years for causing sexual activity with a child, six months for making indecent images, and three months for indecent exposure. Detective Constable Lee Parsons of British Transport Police commented, “This sentence represents the culmination of a complex investigation. Rhodes showed a flagrant disregard for the wellbeing of the young girls he engaged with online, prioritizing his own gratification over their welfare. It is satisfying to know he has been brought to justice, and I commend all officers involved in this case.”