Spain Approves Extradition of Briton Accused of Abusing Choirboys

A Spanish judge on Wednesday ordered an 85-year old suspected pedophile to be extradited to Britain to face charges of abusing choirboys decades ago, a judicial source said.

Spain's National Court upheld a European extradition warrant for John Brown, wanted by authorities in London for his alleged role in a pedophile ring that targeted a church choir.

He is accused of several counts of sexual assault as part of a network active in the 1970s and 1980s, during which time he drove choirboys to music practice in his car, according to a judicial source who asked not to be named.

Police arrested Brown in Malaga, southern Spain, and he did not resist the extradition warrant when taken before the judge on Wednesday, the source said.

Long seen as a place of refuge for British criminals, the sunspots of Spain have seen a string of arrests in recent years.

In November Spain arrested and extradited convicted British pedophile Michael McCartney, 78, who was living in the southeastern city of Alicante.