A former GP who fled to Thailand while on police bail for sex offences is starting a five-year jail sentence after police tracked him down.

Simon Paul Watson, who used to live in Ilkley and Otley and worked at Idle Medical Centre, absconded in 2009 while being investigated by police for possession of indecent images of children.

He was finally traced to the sex tourist hotspot of Bangkok and brought back to face justice in West Yorkshire.

The 45-year-old pleaded guilty to 17 charges, including child porn offences, breaking police bail in 2009 and breaching Sex Offender Notification Regulations, when he appeared at Leeds Crown Court on Friday.

Watson, who lived for a time in Ilkley and Otley, had previously served two years behind bars – from 2005 to 2007 – for trading sickening images of child pornography on the internet. He was arrested for outstaying his visa in Thailand in May and deported.

West Yorkshire Police arrested him as soon as his plane touched down at Heathrow.

A court was told in 2005 how the family doctor had become obsessed with depraved pictures of youngsters engaged in sex acts.

He pleaded guilty at that time to 11 offences of distributing an indecent image of a child and a further 11 of possessing such images.

A patients’ helpline had to be issued for anyone worried about the situation.

When his home in Fairfax Street, Otley, was searched in April 2004, police found 604 indecent images attached to e-mails he had sent.

Detective Inspector Chris Stones said: “It is down to the extensive inquiries and tireless work of our officers, as well as work with agencies both here in the UK and Thailand, that we were able to locate Simon Watson.

“This led to the Thai authorities making the decision to deport him and allowed for the criminal process to be followed on his return to the UK.

“Watson’s actions can only lead me to believe he poses a significant threat to children, who will now be protected from him whilst he remains in custody.”

No-one from Idle Medical Centre wished to comment.