A CONVICTED paedophile who was named and shamed by a newspaper has escaped abroad and police fear he could avoid arrest.

Last November, Stephen Featherstone, 33, known as Glen and formerly of Thames Road, Billingham, was convicted after a trial at Teesside Crown Court of six cases of indecent assault against girls aged under 16.

He taught children swimming at Billingham and Thornaby public baths during the 1980s, and his offences were committed during the early to mid-80s.

After his conviction, the case against him was adjourned for sentencing and he was granted bail.

But Featherstone did not return to court and an arrest warrant was issued to police, who have been searching for him for months.

Police said they are trying to track down the fugitive, but added that they oppose the News of the World's decision to publish his photograph in its "name and shame" list of paedophiles, fearing he will disappear again.

A police spokesman said: "Inquiries are still ongoing into the whereabouts of Glen Featherstone so we can put him before the courts."

He said police knew Featherstone's address abroad, but refused to reveal his location and said officers were waiting for an extradition application to be completed.

The spokesman said: "Featherstone is on the run. But we know where he is and the extradition process is under way. It could be that the News of the World has now jeopardised that. It doesn't help anybody."

The policy of naming child sex offenders has won backing from some victims' families, including the parents of Wesley Neailey, the Newcastle boy who was murdered by Dominic McKilligan.

Figures released yesterday showed that the incidence of sex offences against children in County Durham fell last year. Gross indecency with a child was down from 29 in 1998/99 to 13 in 1999/00, a drop of 55 per cent.

The county has 155 people on its sex offenders' register, more than half of them for offences against children.

A force spokesman said: "Nationally, one in five people reoffend within a couple of months, but in Durham in the whole of this year only one has reoffended."

Gross indecency with a child has risen from 23 offences in 1998/99 to 42 in 1999/00 in the Northumbria Police area