Chester ‘Rapist’ Manhunt Concludes In Rossett

A manhunt that has been ongoing since the weekend concluded as the wanted man was ‘flushed out’ after a large numbers of police descended on Rossett.

Police had been hunting 37-year-old Peter Watton not only as he was he in breach of his licence conditions and is wanted on a recall to prison, but also in connection with a rape investigation in Chester.

Large numbers of police arrived in Rossett just after 8pm, some in convoy from Chester, and were focussed around the Station Road area. We saw police using the A483 junction as an observation spot, with others on the nearby footbridge as the search moved northwards.

Around 9:30pm the wanted man was apprehended after a short chase, with one local person tweeting Wrexham.com to say “PCs on the bridge saw movement walked towards Lyndir, he ran on A483 and they got him at the Lyndir train crossing”.

Police leaving the scene this evening were “upbeat” and were described as having “flushed out” the man by the railway.

Fields were also searched in the area, with reports of in depth police activity as far northwards as Dodleston. A train was stopped on the tracks close by just before 6pm, however Arriva Trains Wales said they “believe it was due to multiple signal failures in the area”, however there has been suggestion that the train was deliberately stopped in relation to the incident.

Previously police had ‘raided’ houses in the Lache to find Watton, an area around 7km north of the area he was eventually found.

Our coverage over the last 24hrs can be found with the appeal here, and Thursday’s manhunt around Gwersyllt & Rossett documented here.