Sex offender flees country to avoid jail

A paedophile who fled the country to avoid facing charges of rape against two young children has been jailed for two decades in his absence. Jose Manico, aged 44, first struck in London in 2003 when he targeted the young daughter of a previous girlfriend. The girl, who was aged seven or eight at the time, reported the assaults in 2008 but no charges were brought against Manico due to insufficient evidence. In August 2014 Manico had moved to Birmingham and was married with children when