Paedophiles James White, left, and Jason Lydiard, right, were found tied to a public bench

Two notorious paedophiles who were hiding out in Co Donegal last week have been arrested in the North.

Child rapist James White (48) and his friend Jason Lydiard (26) roamed the Border counties last weekend bringing fear to local communities.

But on Saturday night the two were caught by the PSNI in Newry after an incident during which they were set upon in the Mullaghbawn area, Co Armagh.

It appears the men may have been attacked before being doused in cement and paint and tied to a public bench.

An angry mob shouted at the men before they were arrested by detectives.

Sightings of the pair in various towns across Donegal last weekend sparked a social media frenzy. Pictures of the pair's blue Peugeot car were posted online and shared extensively.

Earlier on Saturday, the PSNI posted pictures of the men's Cork-registered car being seized in Mullaghbawn and issued an urgent appeal for the whereabouts of the men.

They had been sighted in south Armagh and Newry but there were concerns they may also have returned to Donegal.

Detective Chief Inspector Jill Duffie said: "These two men are wanted in Northern Ireland for a range of offences, including breach of licence and warrants."

Gardaí have intelligence that the duo - both originally from the North and considered "high-risk sex offenders" - have been approaching children as part of a depraved double act.

Although the pair served time in the North, they are still required to inform gardaí of their whereabouts here.

A Garda bulletin was sent to every station in the country to warn officers to be on the lookout for the pair.

Lydiard - who also uses the name Alexis Guesto and considers himself a born-again Christian - is also suspected of using a fake social media profile as part of his plans to identify potential victims.

Investigators believe the pair became friends after Lydiard, originally from Co Down, was freed from custody in the North earlier this year.

He had finished a seven-month sentence for ignoring a court order banning him from online dating sites.

Although he has nine previous convictions for sexual assault, assaults causing harm and threats to kill, White is considered to be the more dangerous.

White, who is originally from south Armagh, was jailed here in 1998 for horrific attacks - two counts of buggery and five charges of sexual assault - on a teenage boy in Co Meath.

He was freed in 2003.

He once threatened to kill a social worker with a hammer, has 62 previous convictions in all, including sexual assault, assault causing bodily harm and threats to kill.

After completing his sentence here, he returned to the North in 2006 and was living in different areas across the Border.

Lydiard was placed on the sex offenders register last year for five years and was banned from working with children after he admitted grooming and touching a boy under the age of 16 two years ago.

He was back in trouble in September last year after being caught on an online dating site.

He was jailed for breaching the terms of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order for having a phone with internet access.

Irish Independent