A Scottish man on the UK’s most wanted list has been arrested by police in Spain.
Police Scotland were looking to apprehend John Rocks in connection with sexual offences carried out between August 2012 and October 2022 before he fled the country.
Detectives believed that the 37-year-old was hiding out in Spain.
The Unidad de Atención a la Familia y Mujer (UFAM), which is the Spanish national police domestic violence, gender-based violence, and crimes targeting minors division, started actively trying to locate Rocks in 2024.
Officers initially believed the Scot was hiding out in Benidorm. An International Arrest Warrant was issued in February 2026 for Rocks.
Investigators travelled to the popular tourist destination several times, carrying out surveillance operations and checks at places he was known to frequent.
UFAM described the operation as “particularly complex” due to the 37-year-old attempting to conceal his identity.
Detectives found that the wanted man travelled around the country to avoid detection. However, on August 1 police located him in Madrid.
Rocks was arrested whilst wearing a cap and glasses to conceal his face.
Upon his arrest, the 37-year-old refused to cooperate, but authorities managed to determine his identity via his visible tattoos.
His identity was later confirmed through fingerprint analysis. He is now expected to be extradited.
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