A RUNAWAY rapist is now serving a 17 year jail sentence after appearing at Bradford Crown Court following his extradition from Italy.

An international manhunt was mounted for 21-year-old Wakar Akhtar when he fled the country part-way through his trial for conspiracy to rape.

He was brought back from Italy by West Yorkshire detectives on Monday and appeared in custody in court yesterday.

Akthar, of Hudson Avenue, Canterbury, Bradford, was found guilty in his absence in November and jailed for 17 years for conspiracy to rape a schoolteacher in a Bradford park.

He was driven to Dover to catch the midnight ferry to Calais hours after giving evidence to the jury.

Akhtar's father, Mohammed Akhtar Raja, 53, of Hudson Avenue, and his uncle, Raja Sarwar, 40, of Tern Street, Canterbury, were each jailed for four years for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

They were arrested by detectives on their trail when they returned to Dover after dropping Akhtar off in France.

Documents provided by Detective Constable Sean Donoghue showed that the search for a ferry had been made on Sarwar's account and paid for by Raja with his credit card.

Prosecutor Andrew Kershaw said the men had subverted the administration of justice and put at risk a major trial for a serious offence.

The cost to West Yorkshire Police and police at Dover of pursuing the fugitive was nearly £31,000, without the cost to the National Crime Agency, Interpol, and authorities in France, Spain and Italy.

Wakar Akhtar was arrested in Brescia in northern Italy and an extradition hearing took place in Milan.

Yesterday, Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC said that charging Akhtar with an offence under The Bail Act would be "wholly inadequate." The maximum sentence of imprisonment for that offence was 12 months.

Judge Durham Hall described his escape as "a sophisticated, determined planned conspiracy."

Both prosecutor Gerald Hendron and Ian Howard, representing Akhtar, asked for the case to be adjourned.

"The defendant has arrived in this country yesterday and the position has not been finalised," Mr Hendron said.

He wanted to consider Akhtar's case "in the light of the disposal of the other defendants who helped him leave the jurisdiction."

Mr Howard said: "He landed back in the country only yesterday. He is serving 17 years so, however long Your Honour adjourns the case for today, is not going to interfere with that."

Judge Durham Hall replied: "There are unresolved issues. I won't ask your lay client to say anything today. He has had a fairly interesting few weeks.

"He will have been brought here by plane and car and will be very tired and needing to get his head round certain things.

"He is now serving a 17 year sentence. He starts that sentence now and I will see him in a few days."

Mr Howard asked for 14 days so that Akhtar could see his mother and brother in prison before his next court appearance.

But Judge Durham Hall said the situation was of Akhtar's making and adjourned the case until Friday, March 6.