A 76-year-old pedophile bought a nine-year-old girl in Thailand then smuggled her home to sexually abuse her, police say.
George Theros was set to enter a plea Wednesday over claims he spent five years raping the youngster, beginning in 2014.
Theros was arrested last month after bringing the youngster to Panama and claiming she was his daughter, only to be caught sexually abusing her, it is claimed.
The alleged pedophile is said to have been exposed by crew members of a boat he had asked to help him sail home to Maui in Hawaii with the child.
Department of Homeland Security Agent Paula Malana said: ‘(The girl) said she refused in the beginning and did not like him, but Theros became angry and forced her to have sex with her.
‘When she did not want to do what Theros wanted, he would mistreat her with physical abuse, including beating her body.’
During his initial court appearance on July 31, Theros claimed to have throat cancer, and ordered a judge to arrange life-saving treatment.
He said: ‘If you delay my treatment, I’m going to die in jail if that satisfies you.’ His request was denied, but he is currently in hospital and is seriously ill, according to Hawaii News Now.
Malana says that Theros stuck to his story about the girl being his daughter after being arrested.
He is said to have claimed that he did not have a visa for the youngster because he had paid money to her parents to adopt both her and her older sister.
That sibling, who is now 19 and lives in Thailand, says she did not have any form of sexual contact with Theros.
