ICE deports Briton living in Wasilla to face child sex assault charges

SEATTLE — A Briton wanted for indecent assault on a child by United Kingdom authorities was deported Tuesday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

Lawrence William Farrington, 54, was escorted by ERO officers on a commercial flight from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to London's Heathrow International Airport, where he was turned over to British police.

U.K. authorities issued a warrant for Farrington's arrest in February in connection with a child sex assault investigation ongoing since at least the late 1990s. Farrington was apprehended by ERO officers earlier this month near his residence in Wasilla, Alaska, based upon an outstanding deportation order.

Farrington was ordered deported in 2009 while he was incarnated in federal prison for Social Security fraud and aggravated identity theft. The deportation order required Farrington to obtain a valid passport upon his release and return to the U.K. When he did not, Farrington was convicted in 2010 of failing to depart and sentenced to 18 months in prison.

"The Wasilla community is safer now that this convicted felon and accused child predator is where he belongs: in the hands of U.K. authorities," said Bryan Wilcox, acting field office director for ERO Seattle, who oversees Alaska operations. "ICE will not allow criminals to use the U.S. as a sanctuary from justice. Through smart and effective immigration enforcement, ICE is deporting more criminal aliens like Farrington than ever before."

Farrington was detained by ICE shortly after the U.K. issued a new passport in his name, enabling officers to carry out his deportation. He was transported from Alaska to Washington state and held at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma until his removal.

Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO has removed more than 500 foreign fugitives from the United States who were being sought in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder. ERO works with ICE's Office of International Affairs, foreign consular offices in the United States, and Interpol to identify foreign fugitives illegally present in the country.