Fugitive rapist now in custody after handing himself in to police

Ramon Tomlinson, also known as Ramion, is now in police custody after attending a police station in Sheffield on Friday. Police made an appeal to trace Tomlinson, two months after he absconded from Sheffield Crown Court on Thursday, December 6, 2018 where he was on trial for rape. The 32-year-old vanished from court while jurors were taking a lunch break during his trial. He was later convicted of rape and sentenced to nine years in jail in his absence. A warrant was then issued for his arrest. He had not been in police custody while he was on trial and there were no bail conditions set, meaning his movements were not restricted while his case was being heard. South Yorkshire police said an investigation was immediately launched after he vanished during proceedings. His details were also recorded on national and international systems while officers sought further information and intelligence to trace him. The force came under fire from members of the public who criticised their delay in releasing details of his disappearance. In the appeal they urged the public to dial 999 if they spotted Tomlinson. They believed he remained in Sheffield and was being assisted by people he knew. Tomlinson had served previous prison sentences after pleading guilty to manslaughter following an incident in West Yorkshire, for which he served four years behind bars. The manslaughter conviction was referred to in 2011, when Tomlinson was one of two thugs jailed over an attack outside a Sheffield nightclub which left a man with life-threatening injuries. Tomlinson, who aged 24 at the time, was sentenced to six years over the ‘unprovoked’ and ‘spur of the moment’ attack outside Nocturnal in Charter Square in August 2010. His victim, a 43-year-old man, was punched in the face by Tomlinson’s accomplice and fell back, cracking his head. While he was on the ground Tomlinson jumped on or kicked the victim in the head during the attack. Posting on Twitter, police thanked those who shared the appeal to trace Tomlinson.