Richard Louis Romeril, who was the focus of an island-wide search, has been found guilty by a jury at Jersey's Royal Court of sexually abusing a child for more than a decade.

The 49 year old subjected his young victim to almost weekly sexual abuse, which escalated over an 11 year period.

The court was shown underwear belonging to his victim as a small child, and later as a teenager, that he had kept hidden under his mattress 

Following a six-day trial, Romeril has been convicted of 12 offences, including attempted rape, sexual touching and indecent assault.

He was arrested in March 2023, and following an extensive investigation he was to attend the police station in the September to be charged.

Romeril failed to appear, sparking an island-wide manhunt. Drones, dogs, police, fire service, Jersey Search and Rescue and a French search helicopter were all used to look for him.

 Romeril's disappearance in September 2023 sparked a police appeal and island-wide search.

Police found his car parked at Noirmont Point in St Brelade. CCTV captured him buying camping equipment in town and an orange bucket at B&Q.

Two days after his disappearance he was found 'safe and well' by a patrolling officer.

Romeril denied sexually abusing his victim, but admitted making indecent images of children after a large number of pictures were found on his seized devices.

Welcoming the jury's verdict, Detective Constable Sian Dupre says this was 'a harrowing case':

"The victim in this case has shown incredible courage coming forward to the Police, with Romeril’s constant denials in the face of overwhelming evidence only adding extra stress to the victim, so their resilience and strength should be commended.

"Although this was an historic event, the evidence was compelling, and the victim was given reassurance that a thorough investigation would be conducted.

"We are committed to investigating and prosecuting all sexual offenders no matter how long ago the offences occurred, and we want to assure victims that there are a number of agencies who are in a position to offer support and guidance through all stages of the criminal justice process."