A former Manitoba man wanted on sex abuse charges has been nabbed by police in Spain after an international manhunt. Iain Kenneth Smy, 49, was initially arrested in Ontario in 2009 on nine counts of sexual assault. The allegations date back to 1984 and involve boys who were between 11 and 15 at the time in two youth organizations in Brandon, Man. Smy was in a position of authority within the organizations, which police have declined to name. The assaults allegedly happened during group outings, police said. Not long after his October 2009 arrest, Smy was released on bail with court approval to live in Sarnia, Ont., but return to Brandon for court dates. Police said Smy's passport was seized when he got bail, but that didn't stop him from missing a court appearance in July 2010, they said, and then disappearing altogether. "We certainly do have information to support that he was able to obtain further travel documents," said Const. Jason Michalyshen. Police allege the man somehow got his hands on a British passport. Police said Smy's parents live in Britain, though they declined to say where. A joint investigative squad made up of RCMP and Winnipeg police confirmed Smy had skipped the country and made his way to Europe. Several different police forces, including officers in London, England, and Ireland, got involved in the case. Investigators tracked Smy to Malaga, Spain, where he was arrested Monday morning by local police. Smy is being held in Madrid as efforts to extradite him unfold, police said. It's not often police in Manitoba are forced to go to these lengths to retrieve an accused. "It does happen from time to time. There is a uniqueness to this, not something we do on a daily or weekly basis. Unique, but something we're not afraid to do," said Michalyshen.
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