A British pedophile who was arrested at the behest of the British Embassy two weeks ago was deported Wednesday evening, an immigration official said Wednesday.
Paul Prestidge was arrested by immigration police on October 17 at his home in Phnom Penh after the Interior Ministry was informed in September that he was working in Cambodia.
Mr. Prestidge, who was found guilty in 2007 of producing and possessing sexually explicit images of young boys in the U.K., had been teaching for more than a year at Hope International School, which caters to Christian missionaries.
“He got his ticket from his embassy this morning and we will send him out at 8 p.m. by Bangkok Air,” said Uk Heisela, chief of investigations at the Interior Ministry’s immigration department.
British police had been seeking to arrest Mr. Prestidge since 2010 when he breached the terms of his release from jail in the U.K. by not returning from a family holiday in Spain.
Major General Heisela said that it could still be possible for Mr. Prestidge to return to Cambodia in the future if the British Embassy sent a letter setting out clear reasons for the visit.
