Leeds woman jailed two years for helping shooting suspect flee to Barbados

Rashawn Bedeau, 28, was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court for funding fugitive Ellis Thornton across Barbados, Suriname and Mexico. Thornton remains wanted in the UK but is currently held in the US.

Leeds woman jailed for funding fugitive shooting suspect abroad

A 28-year-old woman from Leeds has been sentenced to two years in prison after helping a shooting suspect flee the United Kingdom and financing his time on the run across multiple countries, bbc.com reports.

Rashawn Bedeau, of Arley Street in Leeds, left the UK with Ellis Thornton in January 2023. Thornton was at the time wanted by West Yorkshire Police in connection with a shooting incident in Halifax. Bedeau was convicted at trial and sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on Friday for assisting an offender.

According to West Yorkshire Police, Bedeau continued to fund Thornton's living costs as he moved from Barbados to Suriname and subsequently to Mexico over a period of several months.

Detective Sergeant Andrew Ellis said Bedeau "helped Ellis Thornton leave the country and continued to fund his lifestyle for several months despite knowing he was a wanted suspect for a serious offence here in West Yorkshire." Ellis added that he hoped the sentence would serve as a warning to anyone considering obstructing a police investigation.

Thornton himself remains a wanted man in the UK. A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson confirmed he is currently in custody in the United States in connection with separate allegations.

Source: Google News BB — Crime