Tinder rapist captured in dramatic arrest
Spanish police have released photos from the arrest of 55-year-old James Clacher, known as the "Tinder rapist." The operation occurred on the Spanish Costa del Sol beach in Andalusia.
3:32 PM EDT, July 5, 2024
James Clacher was hanging upside down from a rope during a workout when two plainclothes officers pretending to be tourists jumped on him on Costa del Sol. The arrest occurred in May, but only now have the police shared photos from the operation.
According to British media, Clacher is believed to be responsible for sexually assaulting two women in Scotland. He allegedly met his victims through a popular dating app.
Officers took him to the police station, where they fingerprinted him and took a mugshot. The man was charged with raping a woman in an apartment in Troon in August 2019 and committing another attack on a woman in an apartment in Gorbals, Glasgow, in September 2020.
Two years ago, the man faked his disappearance at a Scottish lake. At that time, his clothes and a Suzuki Swift were found.
Since then, Clacher has been using a false identity and is well-known in the local sports community.
"A 55-year-old man was arrested on an international arrest warrant in Spain," confirmed the Spanish police. "We are liaising with partner agencies, and he will be subject to extradition proceedings."
The 55-year-old from Scotland was supposed to stand trial accused of assaulting two women he met on a dating site, but he disappeared before appearing in court in 2022.
His case is currently being handled by the National Court in Madrid.
