MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A British man living in the Philippines for 10 years has been arrested to face charges he molested a 14-year-old boy in the United Kingdom, Filipino immigration authorities said Thursday.
Douglas Michael Slade, 74, was arrested by immigration agents last week at his home in northern Angeles City where he has been a permanent resident for 10 years, said Bureau of Immigration and Deportation spokeswoman Elaine Tan.
Slade denied the charges, saying they were “make-believe” and a “magical fantasy.”
He had been arrested in five child abuse and child pornography cases in Angeles City but all the charges were dismissed, Tan said.
A report by the immigration bureau said Slade lived close to a school in Angeles, “making it easy for him to lure children to his home” where he allegedly paid boys as young as 8 years old 150 pesos (about $3.30) to pose for nude pictures and perform sex acts on him. “Indecent images” of boys were allegedly found in his laptop, the report said.
Tan said the British Embassy requested Slade be apprehended to face the molestation charges. He is being held at an immigration detention center pending resolution of the deportation proceedings.
Despite his permanent resident status in the country, Slade may still be deported for being an “undesirable alien,” Tan said.
Immigration chief Siegfred Mison said in a statement that Slade’s activities “pose a significant risk and threat to children’s wellbeing.”
“The wellbeing of our children is considered the utmost interest of the State. We will not allow any such corruption of our youth to happen,” Mison said. (end)