Suspected Canadian pedophile, 77, on run four years nabbed in Asia
· Toronto Sun
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An elderly Canadian man accused of crimes related to child pornography has been arrested in the Philippines after more than four years on the run.
Cops in the Southeast Asia nation confirmed that Rudolf Hannes Hofer, 77, of Cranbrook, B.C. , was arrested in San Carlos City in Pangasinan province on Sunday.
Hofer has been wanted in Canada since at least 2021 on charges stemming from possession of child sexual abuse materials. Philippine cops were tipped off by Canadian authorities as to Hofer’s location.
Awaiting deportation
According to the Chiangrai Times, agents from the Philippines immigration department ran Hofer to ground after “receiving actionable intelligence.” Hofer is now being held in Taguig City as he awaits deportation proceedings.
He faces active warrants in Canada for possessing child sexual abuse materials and breaching an undertaking.
“Canadian authorities provided vital information that led Philippine immigration operatives directly to the suspect’s location in San Carlos City,” a press release said. “This swift action prevents the suspect from further evading justice.”
In addition, he was living illegally in the country on an expired visa. Cops say he failed to extend his authorized stay.
“This discovery highlights a common tactic used by fugitives attempting to hide in foreign countries,” the press release said.
“By overstaying his visa, Hofer hoped to remain undetected by law enforcement. However, the vigilance of the Bureau of Immigration ensures that such attempts are ultimately unsuccessful.”
Won’t be a ‘sanctuary for fugitives’
Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said his office remains “vigilant” against foreign nationals who are attempting to elude prosecution in their home countries.
“The Philippines will not serve as a sanctuary for fugitives seeking to escape accountability for serious crimes,” Viado said.
Hannes Hofer is just the latest suspected pedophile and child pornography enthusiast to flee to Southeast Asia. The Philippines, Thailand and Cambodia remain popular locations for sex tourism, with the victims frequently being underage children.
The Philippines is a primary location for global child sexual exploitation and cybersex tourism. A number of factors make the country attractive to pedophiles: Extreme poverty, high English proficiency, and widespread internet access.
Foreign pedophiles also drive pay-for-view live-streamed child sexual abuse.
Monster Aussie child rapist Peter Gerard Scully has been sentenced to life in prison for filming himself raping poor children in the Southeast Asian country. Victims included an 18-month-old baby and a young girl discovered buried under his house.
His Filipina girlfriend, Lovely Margallo, was also jailed for 126 years.
Child sex tourism frequent flier
Kitchener native Orville Mader was a child sex tourism frequent flier. The retired teacher from B.C. was arrested by the Philippine National Police (PNP) in 2022 for allegedly sexually molesting an 11-year-old boy in Binan, Lagun.
Mader was convicted in 2007 in absentia in Thailand of paying for sex with an 8-year-old boy. He had previously been jailed in Cambodia for allegedly sexually assaulting boys aged 11 and 14, but those charges were eventually dropped.
In Thailand, he paid 500 baht — around C$15 — to have sex with the boy in Pattaya. The child had reportedly been abducted from a shopping centre and his mother reported him missing.
The boy’s pimp gave the child $3 every time he went with a Western pedophile.
Thailand wanted Mader extradited from Canada but authorities in B.C. sniffed in 2010 that the Southeast Asian country’s cops didn’t have enough evidence for a conviction here.
His conditions lapsed and Mader was back on the road visiting the world’s child sex tourism hotspots.
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