Since October 2020, James Ernest Williams, also known as Alan John Appleton, has been one of Devon & Cornwall Police’s most wanted criminals, with an appeal issued to find the now 55-year-old for violating the terms of his release from prison.
He did not appear in Newton Abbott Magistrates Court on December 9th, 2020.
Last Tuesday night, police arrived on Folly Lane in Whippingham and arrested Williams, transporting him to Newport Police Station for questioning.
It’s unclear how he was discovered, but his appearance had changed, with him gaining weight and growing his hair and beard.
The 55-year-old, who is originally from Manchester, has been charged with two counts of failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements and has been remanded in custody to appear at Portsmouth Magistrates Court on June 30th.
Williams has been living on a boat on the River Medina on the Isle of Wight.
The case was sent up to the Crown Court last Thursday, and Williams will now appear on August 5th. He has been held in custody until then.
Williams, or Appleton as he is more commonly known, is from South Devon, with connections to Torbay and Dartmouth. He was thought to have spent some time in the Paignton area, then possibly in Portsmouth or Reading. Clarence Street in Dartmouth was his last known address.
