A convicted sex offender who allegedly evaded capture for six weeks has been arrested at a remote spot in the New South Wales Snowy Mountains, after a public tip-off to police.
A search began for Christopher William Empey, 46, after he allegedly fled his home state of Victoria in late November, and the alarm was raised after he failed to comply with his monitoring conditions.
He was found at Tin Mine Huts in the Snowy Mountains about 5:00pm on Wednesday afternoon and arrested without incident.
The location, on the Cascade Hut Trail in Kosciuszko National Park, is more than 400 kilometres from where Empey was captured on surveillance footage in Nowra on the NSW south coast.
The footage showed him sporting a light beard and wearing the same clothes he was wearing when he left Victoria.
Empey was convicted of a violent rape in which he stomped on the victim's head.
She was so badly injured she had to re-learn how to walk and write.
He was sentenced to 12 years in jail over the assault.
Empey is expected to be charged over an outstanding warrant, and is expected to appear at Cooma Local Court on Thursday, where it is likely Victoria Police will seek his extradition.
After arresting Empey, NSW Police offered their thanks to members of the public and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
