WA:Overseas hunt for WA alleged sex offender

AAP General News (Australia)
04-07-2011
WA:Overseas hunt for WA alleged sex offender

By Josh Jerga

PERTH, April 7 AAP - A 66-year-old West Australian light aircraft operator who fled
the country after being accused of a string of child sex offences could be hiding out
in Malaysia, police say.

Broome resident Charles Gordon Batham fled Australia via Perth on February 21, a week
before he was due to face court on charges including procuring a child under 13 to engage
in sexual activity.

Batham, who owns and operates Broome Trike Flights, was also charged with indecently
recording a child and two counts of intending to expose a child to indecent material.

Detective Senior Constable Wayne Davies said that when Batham failed to appear in Broome
Magistrates Court on February 28, police discovered he had left the country.

Det Sen Const Davies said that while the man's current location was unclear, police
knew he had stopped over in Kuala Lumpur and may still be holed up somewhere in Malaysia.

"We're still making inquiries as to his where-abouts, but we're not 100 per cent sure
whether he's still in Kuala Lumpur or has moved on from there or he's staying in Malaysia,"

he told AAP.

Det Sen Const Davies said Batham had lived in Broome for more than 20 years, but originally
was from the United Kingdom and still held a British passport.

He said police were also investigating whether he had returned to the UK.

"I know he's got some associates in Europe but also in Asia and the UK. These are business
associates and, obviously, friends," Det Sen Const Davies said.

"He was in the trike-flight business in Broome, which is a big holiday town and one
of things tourists do here is take a trike flight over here.

"I suppose he would have kept in touch with those people over the years."

Batham was profiled in the Nine Network travel show Getaway in 2002, he which he was
describe as "a true adventurer".

The show reported he bought a red London double-decker bus, shipped it to Australia
and drove across the Nullarbor Plain, from NSW to WA.

He then later fitted out the bus and used it as his home.

Det Sen Const Davies said Interpol was helping WA police to track down Batham.

AAP jsj/cdh

KEYWORD: BATHAM

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