A Northampton man accused of a fortnight of sordid underage hotel sex with an American schoolgirl has appeared before a federal court in Ohio.
Richard Castle, aged 46, is alleged by the US authorities to have pretended to be a 17-year-old boy to court the affections of the schoolgirl, who he is said to have met over the internet in 2009 when she was 12.
Castle lost his High Court fight against extradition to the United States last month, and arrived in the country on April 12. He had been arrested in Northampton on January 12 by Metropolitan Police officers.
Following the court appearance, he is being held without bail pending trial.
Castle faces accusations he sent the girl photos of his private parts and travelled to Ohio for a holiday in 2011, during which they had sex numerous times in his hotel and her home.
He was arrested after authorities in the US requested his extradition, following a complaint by a teacher the girl had confided in.
He contested his extradition, ordered last April, and today took his case to the High Court in London, where two top judges rejected his appeal.
His legal team argued extradition to the US could violate his right to liberty, because a US federal statute allows for prisoners proved to be mentally ill and a risk of molesting children to be detained even after their sentence has ended.
Castle’s lawyers argued there was a risk he could end up behind bars indefinitely beyond the expiry of any sentence he got if extradited and convicted.
Coercion and enticement of a minor carries a sentence of at least ten years imprisonment, and travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct carries a sentence of up to 30 years.