A man who went on the run accused of a series of sex attacks in west Wiltshire has died in Canada.

Robin Flexon was due to stand trial at Swindon Crown Court in 2003 on eight charges of indecent assault on three girls, the youngest of who was ten years old.

But it has been discovered that he died in Ontario on December 1, 2007, just three weeks before his 44th birthday.

Yesterday a judge has withdrawn the warrant for his arrest and detention and marked the file closed after seeing evidence that the defendant had died.

Colin Meeke, prosecuting, produced a copy of the death certificate from Ontario showing he had died 15 months ago.

Flexon was accused of indecently assaulting the girls between mid 1984 and March 1989.

He appeared in court in December 2002 to enter his pleas of not guilty and at the time was living in Frizington, Cumbria.

A judge granted him bail on condition he lives and sleeps at the address, reports to the police station in nearby Whitehaven and does not contact witnesses.

But in July 2003 a warrant without bail was issued for his arrest after his barrister told the court the court it was thought he had left the country with his Canadian wife.