A rugby league international has fled the UK after being charged with sexual offences including rape, a court has reportedly heard.
Keven Appo, 25, who played for Bradford Bulls in the Betfred Championship before being sacked on Friday, has apparently travelled to his home country of Papua New Guinea.
Appo was due to appear at Bradford Magistrates’ Court on Monday morning, but failed to attend and the court told Sky News a warrant for his arrest without bail has been issued.
The BBC reported that the court heard he flew to Dubai from Manchester Airport and caught a connecting flight to Papua New Guinea just hours after he was given conditional bail at a hearing in November.
The Bradford Telegraph and Argus reported that magistrates were told he fled the country within five hours of being charged.
An extradition process has now begun to return him to Britain, the BBC reported prosecutor Fiona Newcombe as saying.
She told the court that Appo gave the club’s manager his house and car keys, and that UK authorities would now work with police in Papua New Guinea to bring him back, the BBC added.
West Yorkshire Police said in a statement on Friday: “A man from Calderdale has been charged with multiple sexual offences.
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“Keven Appo, aged 25 of Halifax, has been charged with rape, sexual assault on a female and two counts of assault.”
Confirming his dismissal later the same day, his club said it had “cancelled Keven Appo’s playing contract”, but could not comment further at this stage.
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