June 2010

Fugitive who raped Notts schoolgirl is ‘not wanted’ in Swiss village

FAMILIES living in a Swiss village where a fugitive rapist has set up home are campaigning for him to leave.

Richard Guelbert was jailed for 12 years in 1999 after he was convicted of raping a 15-year-old Notts schoolgirl 10 times.

He was released in 2005 after he served half of his sentence – on condition he told authorities of any changes in living circumstances. But he disappeared while he was living in South Normanton in 2008. He now lives in the Swiss village of Obermumpf.

Residents there only found out about the 48-year-old’s convictions after reading about them on a newspaper website.

They say they are now living in fear for their children’s safety and parents and members of the local schools’ governing body have organised meetings and sought information from their local police force and Derbyshire’s, about having him moved on.

One father, a governor at the local school, said: “It was very shocking when we found out. We do not want him living in our village.”

As there is no sex offenders’ register in Switzerland, the Swiss authorities do not regard it as a criminal offence to breach the terms. This means he cannot be arrested and forced to come back.