Mark Acklom: One of Britain's most wanted fugitives extradited to UK after years on the run

Acklom allegedly posed as an MI6 agent to con a Gloucestershire woman out of her £850,000 life savings

Mark Acklom is due to appear at Bristol Magistrates' Court (NCA)

One of Britain's most wanted fugitives has been extradited to the UK from Switzerland after almost three years on the run.

Alleged fraudster Mark Acklom, 45, is said to have fleeced a woman out of £850,000 in life savings after posing as an MI6 agent and a banker in 2012.

He entered a year-long relationship with Carolyn Woods and he allegedly duped her into giving him money for renovation work at a number of properties in Bath, police claimed.

He is accused of 12 offences of converting or removing criminal property and eight of fraud by false representation.

Acklom was named as one of the UK's most wanted fugitives as part of Operation Captura, a multi-agency initiative involving the NCA and Crimestoppers to track down British fugitives abroad.

A European Arrest Warrant was issued for Acklom in June 2016 and he was believed to be at large in Spain, having been released from a Spanish prison over a £200,000 property fraud.

In May 2017 he was spotted in Geneva, where he was believed to have been with his family.

Acklom was arrested in Switzerland in June last year, after being found at a luxury apartment in Zurich where he had been living under a false name after more than two years on the run.

He was escorted to Bristol Airport from Geneva by specially trained officers on Friday, Avon and Somerset Police said.

He is currently in police custody and due to appear at Bristol Magistrates' Court on Saturday.

A spokesman for the National Crime Agency (NCA) said they had worked closely with partners in Switzerland and Avon and Somerset Police to bring about the extradition and put Acklom before the British courts.

Chief inspector Gary Haskins of Avon and Somerset Police said: "No matter where suspected criminals are in the world we will always do everything we can to track them down and bring them back to the UK to face justice.

"This extradition would not have been possible without the support of all our law enforcement partners and I'm extremely grateful for their assistance in helping us bring Acklom home to answer some very serious charges."

Ian Cruxton, head of international operations for the NCA, said: "We have worked closely with our partners in Switzerland and Avon and Somerset Police to bring about this extradition and put Mark Acklom before the UK courts.

"This case once again demonstrates our ability to track down fugitives wherever they may be.

"The NCA's international reach means there is no safe place to hide for individuals wanted in the UK."

Additional reporting by agencies