The first UK citizen to be extradited from China following a successful request by the Crown Prosecution Service has been sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court today. David Price, 69, will serve seven years and eight months in prison after admitting numerous offences of possessing and distributing indecent images of children. Paul Whittaker, Chief Crown Prosecutor of CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said: ?Price thought he could evade justice by fleeing to a country where the UK has no extradition treaty. This was not the case. ?Our prosecutors joined forces with the specialist teams in the CPS national extradition unit, and together with government agencies in the UK and China and with investigating officers from Merseyside Police, brought this manipulative and dangerous individual before the courts.? CPS Specialist Extradition Prosecutor Alison Riley said: ?This is the first ? and so far the only ? extradition from the People?s Republic of China to the UK. This case proves that even where there is no formal extradition arrangement with a country this does not prevent us from seeking a person?s extradition to face justice. ?I received a full file of papers in November 2009, prepared a formal extradition request and depositions of fact and law were sworn at South Sefton Magistrates? Court on 17 June 2010. The extradition request was sent to the Chinese authorities in early August 2010. ?In October 2011 we were informed that Price?s extradition had been approved by the Hubei High Court, and that decision had been ratified by China?s Supreme People?s Court. The final decision of the People?s Republic of China Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which allowed the UK extradition request, was dated 20 October 2011. Officers from Merseyside Police collected Price at Beijing Capital International Airport on 7 November 2011 and escorted him back to the UK. ?We have worked hard with colleagues across government and held discussions with the Chinese authorities so this extradition could take place. It is a tribute to all those involved in this case that they were determined that Price should be held to account for what he did and that even when he fled to the other side of the world, this was not far enough. Criminals should take heed that, as Price discovered, there is no guaranteed safe hiding place.? Price was living in Southport when he was first arrested on suspicion of committing these offences in 2003. He was placed on bail while investigations were underway, but fled the country and was eventually traced in China. Mr Whittaker said: ?The efforts of all the agencies involved have ensured that David Price has been brought to justice for his deplorable crimes against children. Price believed that his crimes were victimless. However, every image he had and shared contained a child who has a family and a future and a life which Price was complicit in destroying.?