Ex-soldier on child porn charge in France

A former British soldier has been arrested in France for possessing child pornography. The man, who has not been named, is also accused of trying to rape and threatening to kill a British woman, whose house he was staying in, after she found the pornography.

The 50-year-old man is wanted by British authorities for breaching his probation terms after serving a prison sentence for assaulting an 11-year-old girl.

He had moved to a small village in central France two years ago. The gendarmerie said that the woman, 56, had discovered thousands of pornographic images on his computer.

The ex-soldier, who served in Afghanistan and the Gulf War, appeared before a magistrate in Montluçon and was remanded in custody. British authorities are seeking a warrant to bring him back to Britain.