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North Texas man arrested in Europe after running from 2003 sex abuse case, district attorney says

The Grayson County DA said the suspect was arrested in 2003 for multiple charges. He posted bond in 2004, then he didn't show up for his trial in 2005.

GRAYSON COUNTY, Texas — A man has been surrendered to the Grayson County Jail after spending about 20 years on the run, according to the county district attorney's office.

The office said Anthony Rae, 49, was arrested in 2020 near London, England after a request for his provisional arrest was submitted. 

Grayson County District Attorney Brett Smith said Rae stayed in prison in England for the last three years during the legal battle to extradite him back to the U.S.

Rae's case goes back to 2003 when police in Van Alstyne were looking into allegations of child sexual abuse. According to the DA's office, Rae was indicted for multiple charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child.

Rae later posted bond in 2004, then failed to appear for his trial in 2005. More warrants were issued for his arrest, and a Grayson County grand jury indicted him for counts of bond jumping and failure to appear.

In 2018, an investigator from the Grayson County DA's office started looking into Rae's whereabouts. With help from the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, the investigator located Rae in Britain in 2019.

The DA's office said Rae was going under the name Tony Campbell at the time he was arrested.

In 2021, the Westminster Magistrates Court in Britain ruled in favor of Rae's extradition. That order was then signed by the British Home Secretary.

Rae then appealed his extradition to the British High Court of Justice. 

After many appeal applications and a final hearing, an order denying that appeal was entered in May 2023. Rae's appeal with the British Supreme Court was denied on June 9, then his application was denied review by the European Court of Human Rights on June 14.

According to the DA's office, that last denial made way for him to be surrendered to U.S. authorities.

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