A RAPIST, who had fled to England from his native Poland to escape trial for robbery, was living just metres from a primary school.

Slawomir Blasiak has been sentenced to an indeterminate prison sentence for brutally raping a suicidal teenager in Colchester.

It later emerged he had been on licence in Poland after serving part of a prison sentence for robbery.

He was also wanted by Polish police to stand trial in connection with a second robbery.

The 43-year-old had been living in Sittang Close, barely 100m from St Michael’s Primary School and Nursery, in Camulodunum Way.

Headteacher Gail Thomas said she was shocked to learn about the school’s former neighbour.

She said: “We were not aware this man was living in our vicinity.

“I am concerned this man managed to get into the UK, to get a house and was able to actually live here.

“I will be talking to our local community policing officer because the aim is to provide a good link with the school.

“I know they couldn’t have known about this either, but this isn’t right.

“Like so many things, people don’t learn their lesson until something bad happens. I hope the law has now been tightened up.”

A spokesman for Interpol, which collaborates and shares intelligence with police forces across the globe, said it did not have the power to order someone to be arrested.

Instead, it relied on member countries, according to their own regulations, to issue notices of outstanding arrest.

Interpol then has the power to issue a “red notice” alongside this, if requested, alerting other countries to a person’s status.