A convicted rapist who faked his own death and fled to Spain was finally caught after his obsession with working out at a local gym gave him away.
On September 3, the High Court in Glasgow found James Clacher, 57, guilty of raping two women he met on dating apps Tinder and Bumble.
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First rape: On August 24, 2019, he violently assaulted a woman just 15 minutes after meeting her at her home following a Tinder match.
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Second rape: On September 4, 2020, he raped another woman at her Glasgow apartment after connecting via Bumble.
Facing rape charges in May 2022, Clacher staged his disappearance by leaving his car near a forest in Argyll and Bute, along with a suicide note blaming one of his victims. Police initially believed he had taken his own life, while in reality he was preparing a carefully planned escape.
The Gym Obsession That Exposed Him
Clacher survived in the woods before secretly making his way to Spain. Under the alias “Johnny Wilson,” he settled in the southern town of Nerja, working as a gardener and teaching yoga classes on the beach. He also started dating a local woman.
But his compulsive visits to Time Sport gym drew attention. In 2023, a public tip-off linked him to the area. Six months later, plainclothes Spanish police arrested him during a yoga session at Costa del Sol.
Authorities revealed that his fitness fixation ultimately betrayed his hiding place.
Clacher admitted to police that he had crossed the UK into France hidden in a truck, then cycled into Spain. He even considered building a kayak to paddle across to Morocco.
After nearly two years on the run, Clacher now faces a lengthy prison sentence for his crimes.
Source: Vietnam Insider